003 Ali Imran Eng

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SRAH 3
l Ìmrn
(The House of Ìmrn)
Prologue
The Qurn is the Book of Islam. It is the soul and raison dtre of the Islamic
mission. It is the backbone and edifice of its existence. It is its guardian and protector;
its expression and manifestation; its constitution and way of life. Once all is said and
done, the Qurn is the fountain, and the reference point, from which Islam and
Muslims draw the ways and means of their actions, their systems and approach, and
the provisions for their journey in this life.
However, a vast chasm will continue to separate us from the Qurn unless we
understand deep down in our consciousness that the Qurn was addressed to a
living community that existed in real life. It dealt with genuine situations in the life
of that community and interacted with human life in its true manifestation on this
earth. It was the main factor in a tremendous battle within the human soul that took
place on a specific part of our planet; a battle that teemed with changes, passions and
responses.
This divide between our hearts and the Qurn will continue to exist as long as we
recite or listen to it as though it were a collection of fanciful religious hymns, totally
disassociated from the realities of daily life facing this being we call man, and this
community we call Muslims. These verses were revealed to address living souls,
actual realities and events, with real meaning. They did indeed guide those souls,
realities and events in an effective and vigorous manner, bringing forth a particular
tangible situation with particular characteristics in mans life, in general, and in the
life of the Muslim community, in particular.
l Ìmrn (The House of Ìmrn) | PROLOGUE
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The Qurns distinctive miracle lies in the fact that it was revealed to deal with the
actual experience of a particular human community, at a specific and finite time in
history. It led that community in a momentous battle that was to change the whole
history of mankind. That notwithstanding, the Qurn continues to provide us with
the competence and the capability to live life today, as though it were being revealed
at this very moment to organise the affairs of the Muslim community, and its
ongoing struggle against pervasive universal ignorance. It continues to lead Muslims
in their struggle with their own souls and conscience and with the same vigour and
down-to- earth spirit it displayed so long ago.
In order for us, today, to capture the Qurns penetrating power, appreciate its
latent vitality and receive the guidance it conveys to Muslims in every generation, we
need to visualise the true nature of the earliest Muslim generation who received the
Qurn for the first time. We need to perceive the Muslims of that generation as they
went about their daily lives, facing up to events and developments in Madinah and
the rest of Arabia, dealing with their enemies as well as their allies, and struggling
against their own passions and desires. The Qurn was being revealed to deal with
all that and to follow the progress of the Muslim community in their greatest battle
with their own souls, with those enemies poised to strike in Madinah, Makkah
and the surrounding lands, and even beyond.
Indeed, we have to live with that pioneering community of Muslims and picture
them in their downright humanity, their actual life and in their human predicaments.
We ought to reflect on how the Qurn guided that community directly in their daily
affairs as well as in their greater global aspirations. We have to see how the Qurn
led those Muslims by the hand, step by step, as they stumbled and rose, deviated and
returned to the true path, weakened and resisted, as they suffered and endured, as
they climbed upwards slowly and painfully, striving and persevering, showing all
their human characteristics, their weaknesses and capabilities.
In this way, we can feel that we are being addressed by the Qurn in exactly the
same manner as that earlier Muslim community. We can realise that the humanity
whose attributes we see and know and feel within ourselves is also capable of
responding to the Qurn and benefiting from its guidance along the same true path.
Thus, we will find the Qurn actively working in the life of that Muslim
community, but also working in our own lives as well. We will feel that as the
Qurn is here with us today, so will it be with us tomorrow. It is not merely hymns
or hollow rituals, far- removed from our changing reality; nor is it some historic
record that has passed and been forgotten, having lost its efficacy and dynamic
ability to interact with human life.
The Qurn is a reality with a perpetual existence akin to that of the cosmos itself;
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the cosmos being Gods visual book while the Qurn is Gods recited book.
Each book is a testimony and a witness to the Creator, and a force in the world. The
universe continues to move and fulfil the functions ordained for it by its Creator: the
sun moves in its orbit and performs its role, as do the moon, the earth and all the
stars and planets, unhindered by the passing of time or the changes affecting their
role in the universe. Similarly, the Qurn has fulfilled its role towards humanity, and
continues to exist in its original form. Likewise, as far as his true character and
original nature are concerned, man has not changed. The Qurn is Gods message to
man. It is immutable because, despite the changes that may have taken place around
him and despite the mutual effect between him and those changes, man has not
changed or become a different being. The Qurn addresses mans basic being and
his original nature which have remained the same. It is capable of guiding human life
today and in the future because it is destined so to do. That is because it is Gods last
and final message and because human nature, like that of the physical universe, is
constant and dynamic but never changing.
Would it not be laughable if the sun, for instance, were described as old or
reactionary and hence it should be replaced by a new and more progressive star?
Similarly, is it not also laughable for man to be considered antiquated and
reactionary and his replacement by some other more enlightened being to rule
the world be argued for?
It would also be ludicrous to say the same with regard to the Qurn, Gods last
and final message to mankind.
The srah under examination here covers a lively period in the history of the
Muslims in Madinah, extending from the end of the famous Battle of Badr, in the
second year of Hijrah (622 CE), to the aftermath of the Battle of Uud, a year later. It
describes the circumstances and the atmosphere surrounding the events of that
period, the impact of the Qurn on the life of that community, and how it interacted
with the prevailing conditions, across all walks of life.
The force and vitality of the Qurnic text brings into sharp focus the images of
that period, the life of the community, and the interactions and circumstances in
which that life was engulfed. It penetrates deep into the Muslims consciences,
exploring their innermost thoughts, feelings and sensibilities; so much so that the
reader feels those events in the same way that members of that community
experienced them. If one closes ones eyes, one may begin to see as I have seen
those Muslims going about their daily lives, hither and thither, with their smiling
faces and serenity, but with enemies lurking all around. Those enemies were
conspiring, spreading lies and suspicion, harbouring grudges, and rallying their
forces for combat with the Muslims, for them to be defeated initially at Uud, but
later to re-group and inflict heavy losses upon the Muslims. One can picture every
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movement and every action that took place on the battlefield, and every inner or
outward emotion and reaction that accompanied it. One can see the Qurn being
revealed to counteract the conspiracy and the intrigue, to refute the lies and the
allegations, to strengthen Muslim morale and bolster the Muslim position, to direct
Muslim spirit and thoughts, to comment on events and actions and draw appropriate
lessons, to establish and clarify concepts, to alert the Muslims to the treachery and
deceit of their scheming enemies, and to provide them with an enlightened and
judicious lead through the thorns, nettles and traps laid in their path.
Beyond that, the directives and exhortations contained in this srah remain eternal
and universal, not restricted by time, place, or circumstance. The srah addresses the
human soul and the Muslim community today and in the future and the whole
of mankind, as though it is being revealed at this very moment. It deals with
contemporary issues and current situations, because it deals with emotional and
spiritual issues, events and feelings as though these were already taken into account
within the context of the srah. Indeed, they would have been taken into account in
the overall scheme of God, the omniscient, who has full knowledge of everything.
Thus, it becomes clear that the Qurn is the guiding light of Islam everywhere
and at all times. It is the life code for every generation of Muslims whoever they may
be, and their beacon along the way, century after century. For, it is Gods last and
final message to mankind in all ages.
The Early Years in Madinah
At the time of the revelation of this srah, the Muslim community began to settle
in their new homeland, Madinah, the city of the Prophet Muammad (peace be upon
him) and had gone some way into the state of affairs already described in our
Introduction to srah 2, al-Baqarah, or The Cow (Vol. I, pp 9-16).
The Battle of Badr had already taken place, and the Muslims had been blessed
with victory over the Quraysh. The circumstances concomitant with achieving that
victory suggested a miracle. This forced notable figures such as Àbdullh ibn
Ubayy ibn Sall, a grand personality of the Khazraj tribe of Madinah, to suppress his
pride, put aside his hatred for Islam, and contain his spite and envy towards the
Prophet Muammad in order to assimilate into the Muslim community, albeit
hypocritically. His only comment was: This, Islam, is here to stay. He had come to
accept that Islam was firmly established and its progress unstoppable.
This was how the seeds of the phenomenon known as hypocrisy were planted in
Madinah, and which began to grow and spread. Before Badr, some people whose
relatives had converted to Islam were obliged to pretend not to mind; some of the
more prominent of these even pretended to have accepted Islam and joined the
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Muslim community while, at the same time, they continued to harbour a grudge and
animosity. They were ready to scheme against the Muslims and to seek the weaker
points in the structure of the new community in order to undermine Muslim ranks
and strength, satisfy their own prejudices and await the appropriate moment to
strike their final blow, if possible.
The hypocrites found natural allies among the Jews of Madinah who had a similar
or even stronger grudge and prejudices of their own towards Islam and the Prophet.
Islam had posed a real and formidable threat to the status of the Jews among the
Arabs of Madinah. It deprived them of the one reason they had to cause rancour and
division between the two main Arab tribes of Madinah: the Aws and the Khazraj.
Under Islam, people of the two tribes became brothers and sisters, belonging to the
same united side.
The Jews of Madinah were stifled and choked at the Muslim victory at Badr. From
then on, they would use all their powers of intrigue, deceit and scheming to break
Muslim ranks and throw doubt and confusion into Muslim hearts and minds;
spreading rumours and allegations against Islam and against the Muslims
personally.
Then came that episode with the Jewish tribe of Qaynuq` bringing all that
animosity into the open. This they did, despite the agreements and covenants the
Prophet Muammad had made with the Jews of Madinah following his arrival there
in 622 CE.
On the other hand, in the wake of their defeat at Badr, the non- Muslim Arabs
were growing increasingly bitter. They could no longer afford to ignore
Muhammads achievements or those of the Madinah camp; nor could they
underestimate the threat posed to their trade, their status and their very existence in
Arabia. They were, therefore, keen to eliminate that imminent threat before it was
beyond their capacity to do so.
As the hatred and power of the enemies of Islam were reaching their peak, the
Muslim camp in Madinah was still in its infancy. It was hardly a homogeneous
community; there were the elites of the earlier Muslims of Makkah (the Muhjirn)
and Madinah (the Anr) as well as individuals who were yet to mature. The
community as a whole lacked any practical experience to be able to smooth away the
rough edges in its composition and to present a clear image of Islam and the phase it
was going through, or to express the sum and substance of its approach and
obligations.
The hypocrites, headed by Àbdullh ibn Ubayy, commanded a strong position in
society. They maintained strong family and tribal ties. The Muslims, on the other
hand, were yet to develop the understanding that Islam alone represented their
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family and tribal relationships and the only bond that united them. A certain amount
of dislocation could still be found within Muslim ranks due to the existence of
hypocrite and dishonest elements and their influence on the destiny and future of the
whole community, as we will see clearly when we come to review the verses in this
srah relating to the Battle of Uud.
The Jews also enjoyed a strong position in Madinah as well as maintaining their
economic ties and covenant alliances with its inhabitants. Their hostility was yet to
become open, while the Muslims had yet to develop the feeling that their faith was
the only covenant binding upon them, the sole symbol of their nationhood, and the
basis of their behavioural and contractual dealings. They were yet to appreciate that
ties and bonds, which clashed with their faith, would have no efficacy or validity. In
this atmosphere, the Jews found openings for meddling, and for sowing doubts and
confusion. There were Muslims who would listen to their talk and be influenced by
it. There were Muslims even prepared to intervene with the Prophet on their behalf
so as to spare them any possible penalty or punishment and to mitigate the harm
they might cause the Muslim community. A stark example is that of Àbdullh ibn
Ubayy who spoke harshly to the Prophet in his plea on behalf of the Qaynuq Jews.
The total and decisive victory of the Muslims at Badr, however, was achieved with
minimum effort and cost. The small band of Muslims who joined that expedition
were scantily equipped for armed conflict. Although they confronted a much larger
and well- prepared Quraysh battalion, the latter were overcome swiftly and
convincingly.
That victory, coming in the very first confrontation between the army of God and
that of the infidels, was part of Gods scheme of things, and we may be able to
discern some of its underlying purpose today. Perhaps it was designed to reinforce
and strengthen the fledgling religion of Islam, or to demonstrate its efficacy in the
battlefield so that it could proceed and progress thereafter.
The Muslims, themselves, might have taken their victory for granted and
considered that they would prevail at every stage of their ascent. After all, were they
not believing Muslims and their enemies unbelievers? Was it not the case, then, that
whenever the two camps met in battle, the Muslims would be certain of triumph.
The Divine principles governing victory and defeat are not so simplistic or nave.
There are prerequisites pertaining to mental preparation, organisational readiness,
equipment and provisions, discipline and control, as well as mental and physical
alertness. This is what God meant to teach them through the setback they suffered at
Uud, as this srah portrays in vivid, breathtaking and meaningful terms. It
identifies the behaviour of some Muslims as the reason for their defeat and delivers
constructive lessons for both individuals and the community as a whole.
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As we review the Battle of Uud, we can see that its lessons cost the Muslims
enormous pain and sacrifice. They lost some of their dearest and most important
members, including amzah ibn Àbd al-Mualib, the Prophet Muammads uncle.
More serious and shocking than that, they saw Gods Messenger sustain wounds to
his forehead, break one of his teeth, fall into a ditch, and have the rings of his armour
embedded in his cheek. Nothing could have been more horrific and distressing for
the Muslims to witness.
The events of the Battle of Uud are preceded in the srah by a lengthy section
completely devoted to a series of directives and exhortations aimed at an elaborate
and crystal-clear statement of Islamic belief. It presents the principle of the oneness of
God, or tawd, in precise and unambiguous terms; it refutes the lies and suspicions
propagated by Jews and Christians in Arabia, whether those emanated from their
own deviation and false beliefs or those they aimed to sow in Muslim ranks so as to
undermine their faith and break their unity and solidarity.
Several accounts identify verses 1-83 as being revealed in connection with a visit,
during the ninth year of the Muslim calendar, to Madinah by a Christian delegation
from Najrn in southern Arabia. However, I doubt if these verses were revealed in
that year because their context and content indicate that they were received over the
earlier part of the Madinah era, during the Muslim communitys formative years. It
was during that period that the Muslims were exposed to the largest part of Jewish
and other intrigues, which affected both the development of their community as well
as their individual behaviour.
However, whether we accept those reports or not, it is clear that the verses address
Christian claims and allegations, especially those relating to Jesus (peace be upon
him) and focus on the principle of oneness of God. The verses clear the Christian
faith of the confusion and distortions that had crept into it, and call upon Christians
to believe in the one true God identified in their own scriptures which the Qurn
had come to confirm and endorse.
The section also contains references and reprimands addressed to the Jews.
Specifically, it warns the Muslims against intrigues by their non-Muslim neighbours,
especially the Jews of Madinah.
This section, delineated in this work as Part I, which represents about half of the
srah, covers aspects of the confrontation between Islam and other religious beliefs
existing in the Arabian peninsula at the time. This conflict was not merely
theological, but rather represented the theoretical aspects of the wider confrontation
between the developing Muslim community and its many antagonists who connived
and schemed against it, and who strenuously sought to undermine the Islamic faith
itself. The essence of that confrontation between the Muslim nation and its
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opponents remains fundamentally the same today: secularism, international Zionism
and modern-day Crusaders.
It is also clear from the text of the srah that the means and the ends of the
confrontation remain the same. This confirms that the Qurn is the Book of Islam
and the guidebook for the Muslim nation, now and in the future, as it was its
reference during its formative years so long ago. In todays struggle, only those who
are mentally unsound would reject the means that would bring certain victory and
refuse to consult the Qurn or follow its guidance. Through weak-mindedness,
carelessness or malice, those would be deceiving themselves and the Muslim nation,
and rendering its enemies a great service.
The discourses and the accounts given in this part of the srah also expose the
attitude of the Jews and Christians, peoples who have deviated from their own true
Scriptures, towards the Muslim community and the new faith of Islam. (See, for
instance, verses 7, 23, 65, 69-72, 75, 78, 98-9, and 119-20.)
It is clear from the numerous and pointed references that the instruments of war
used against the Muslim community were not limited to swords and spears. First
and foremost, Islams enemies targeted the Muslim faith. They deployed deception
and intrigue, spread false allegations, plotted and conspired. They aimed to dislodge
Islam, the essence that had brought the Muslim community into being. They sought
to undermine and destroy the Islamic faith, because they knew, as their counterparts
know today, it was the mainstay of the community; the community is only defeated
when its spirit of faith is defeated. Their enemies could do the Muslims no harm so
long as the Muslims themselves held fast to their faith, depended on it, lived
according to its principles, championed its banner, represented its true supporters,
and proudly identified with it alone.
From this it is clear that the most evil of enemies are those who divert Muslims
away from their faith and belief, and who lead them away from Gods path or
deceive them regarding the true identity of their enemies and their long-term
objectives.
The struggle between the Muslim community and its enemies is, first and
foremost, a struggle of faith and belief. Even when the struggle is over land or
resources or economic gain or raw materials, winning the war of beliefs and ideas
comes first. Long experience has taught Islams enemies that they cannot prevail over
the Muslim community as long as the latter adhere to their faith and religion and
commit themselves to its system, remaining constantly vigilant. This is why Islams
enemies and their lackeys expend colossal energy and resources in order to deceive
the Muslims and camouflage the real nature of the conflict. In this way they seek to
get what they want, to dominate and exploit the Muslims, safe in the knowledge that
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no faith or belief can motivate them.
Although its enemies today adopt more sophisticated means of intrigue against
the Muslim community and use more advanced methods to sow doubts among its
people and weaken their bonds, their fundamental objective remains unchanged: to
lead the Muslims astray, away from their faith and their religion.
The Qurn, therefore, concentrated first of all on frustrating these noxious efforts.
It would strengthen the Muslim communitys belief in the truth it advocated; it
would refute the lies and suspicions that the Jews and Christians spread about Islam;
it would expound unequivocally, the grand concepts it promoted, impressing upon
the Muslims the need to see the essence and value of their existence on this earth,
and to appreciate their role and the role of the faith they uphold in shaping the
history of mankind.
The Qurn warned the Muslims against their opponents intrigue, exposed their
clandestine schemes, dirty tricks and sinister aims. It identified this hatred towards
Islam and Muslims as the result of the favour conferred by God for the great honour
of conveying the message of Islam to the world.
The Qurn guides the Muslims by affirming the realities and criteria of power in
this world, stressing the inherent weakness of their enemies and their disgrace in the
eyes of God. It cites their infidelity and deviation from Gods revealed messages and
their slaying of their own prophets and messengers. It reassures them that God is on
their side; He is One, the unmatched Supreme Ruler of everything, and He alone
bestows power or takes it away. He will severely punish the faithless (who, in this
context, are the Jews). He will humiliate them, just as He did the polytheist Arabs.
(See verses 1-5, 10-13, 19, 26, 28, 68, 83, 85, 1003, 110-12, and 118-20.)
A number of facts arise from the concerted and diverse campaign depicted in
these verses: Firstly; the extent to which the Jews of Madinah were prepared to go to
subvert Islam and undermine the Muslim community, the depth of their hatred and
the wide variety of means and methods they were willing to deploy. Secondly; the
great impact the campaign had on individual Muslims, thereby calling for such
extensive and detailed Qurnic coverage. Thirdly; that, after all these centuries, we
still find the same antagonists perpetrating a similar campaign of vilification and
demonisation against Islam and the Muslims all over the world. They continue to
pose the main threat, and so God Almighty, in His infinite wisdom, has preserved
the Qurn as a guiding beacon for subsequent Muslim generations to be able to
identify their traditional enemies clearly and accurately.
The Battle of Uud
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The second part of the srah deals exclusively with the Uud campaign, but also
carries affirmations relating to the principles of Islam and its outlook, together with
commands and exhortations on how to build the Muslim community on those
principles. It reviews the facts and events of the campaign, and the feelings and
thoughts generated by it, in vivid detail. It describes most accurately the state of the
Muslim community at the time and its various constituents, as outlined at the
beginning of this Prologue.
The link between this section and the preceding one is quite clear. It also attends to
the articulation of the Islamic outlook immediately and decisively in the heat of
battle. It guides and counsels the Muslim community how to uphold their faith and
to take on their obligations and responsibilities. It instructs the Muslims in the Divine
rules and criteria regarding victory and defeat, complementing the lessons they had
learned from their practical experience.
It is hardly possible, in this general Prologue, to do justice to this section of the
srah, but we shall return to it at the appropriate point in the commentary.
The final section of the srah provides a summary of its main themes. It begins
with a revealing reference to the physical world, Gods observed book, and its
inspiring effect on believing hearts. It continues with a serene and flowing invocation
on behalf of those faithful hearts, recited with Gods observed book as a fitting
backdrop. It says: In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the succession of
night and day, there are indeed signs for men endowed with insight, who remember God when
they stand, sit and lie down, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: Our
Lord, You have not created all this in vain. Limitless are You in Your glory. Guard us, then,
against the torment of the fire. Our Lord, him whom You shall commit to the fire, You will
have condemned to disgrace. The evildoers shall have none to help them. Our Lord, we have
heard the voice of one who calls to faith, [saying], Believe in your Lord, and we have
believed. Our Lord, forgive us then our sins and efface our bad deeds and let us die with the
truly virtuous. Our Lord, grant us what You have promised us through Your Messengers
and do not disgrace us on the Day of Resurrection. Surely, You never fail to fulfil Your
promise. (Verses 190-4)
Gods response comes next, citing the displacement, struggle and persecution
suffered by the believers for the cause of God Almighty:
Their Lord answers them: I will not suffer the work of any worker among you, male
or female, to be lost. Each of you is an issue of the other. Therefore, those who emigrate
and are driven out of their homes and suffer persecution in My cause, and fight and
are slain [for it] I shall indeed efface their bad deeds and admit them to gardens
through which running waters flow, as a reward from God. With God is the best of
rewards. (Verse 195)
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It is clear that these verses directly relate to the events and the aftermath of the
Battle of Uud.
The srah then refers to those people who received earlier revelations, and to
whom it devotes the whole of its first part. It reassures the Muslims that the
revelation they received has not been rejected by all of those earlier communities, as
some of them believe its teachings and attest to its veracity. It says: There are indeed
among the people of earlier revelations some who believe in God and what has been bestowed
from on high upon you and in what has been bestowed upon them, humbling themselves
before God. They do not barter away Gods revelations for a trifling price. (Verse 199)
The srah closes with an appeal to believing Muslims to persevere, to forebear,
and to hold fast to their faith and to fear God, a call that fits perfectly with the whole
ambience of the srah and its many themes.
No introduction to the srah would be complete without understanding three
broad themes whose constituent elements are dotted throughout it.
Firstly, the clear and precise statements made on the meaning of religion and
Islam. Religious faith, as defined and affirmed by God Almighty, is not a
haphazard or irrational belief in the existence of God. There is only one form of belief
in God and that is an absolute, definite and certain affirmation of the oneness of God,
tawd. He is a God to whom mankind submit, as do all other creatures in this world.
He is the power that controls and oversees the affairs of mankind and of everything
in existence. Nothing can exist or function without God Almighty, and none but Him
has absolute power and authority over creation. Accordingly, the religion that God
would approve of is Islam, which in this context means total and absolute
submission to the Divine Being. Islam is to acknowledge God as the only source of
guidance in all walks of life, to recognise His revealed Book, the Qurn, as the final
arbiter and reference and to follow the Messenger to whom it was revealed. The
Book, in its essence, is one and the same, and the religion, in its essence, is one and
the same. It is Islam, in its realistic and practical meaning as perceived in the human
mind and conscience and in mans daily affairs. By adopting this one religion, all
believing followers of Gods appointed Messengers, in their respective generations,
fall into line as long as they believe in the oneness of God and in His absolute
authority and submit to Him in all aspects of their life, without exception.
The srah highlights this theme, expanding upon it, in clear and emphatic terms,
on more than thirty occasions. (See, for example, verses 2, 18-20, 23, 31-2, 52, 64, 67,
83, and 85.)
Secondly, the srah deals with the relationship between Muslims and God. It
emphasises their full submission to Him and their total acceptance of, compliance
with, and acquiescence in all that He had revealed. References to this theme will be
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dealt with in full in their respective places in this srah. (See verses 7-8, 16-17, 52-3,
110, 113-14, 146-7, 172-3, 191-4, and 199.)
Thirdly, the Muslims are warned against seeking alliances with the unbelievers
whose position and strength are shown to be of little consequence. It emphasises that
alliances with the unbelievers, who do not adhere to Gods Book or comply with the
way of life He ordains, negate any presumed belief in God or ties with Him.
Reference has already been made to this aspect, but since it is such a prominent
feature of the srah, further amplification is given here. Some quotations which deal
with this theme include verses 28-9, 69, 100-3, 111-12, 118, 149-51, and 196.
These three broad themes complement one another perfectly in presenting the
Islamic outlook and the true concept of the oneness of God, tawd. The prerequisites
of this concept in human life and in mans consciousness of God Almighty are clearly
delineated as also the effect all this has on the Muslims attitude towards the enemies
of God.
When read in their proper place and context in this srah, these verses provide
greater vigour and deeper meaning. They were revealed in the thick of battle; the
battle for faith and belief. During both the internal battle raging within Muslim
hearts and minds, and the battle taking place in their daily lives. Hence the srah has
come to contain such extraordinary accounts of movement, inspiration and impact.

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1
Concepts Outlined
ijk
In the Name of God, the Lord of Grace, the Ever Merciful.
Alif. Lm. Mm. (1)
God: there is no deity save Him, the Ever-living,
the Eternal Master of all. (2)
He has revealed to you this Book with the truth,
confirming what was revealed before it; and He
has already revealed the Torah and the Gospel
(3)
before this as guidance for people. And He has
revealed the Criterion (to distinguish the true from
the false). Those who disbelieve in Gods
revelations shall endure grievous suffering. God is
Mighty, able to requite. (4)
Nothing on earth or in the heavens is hidden from
God. (5)
It is He Who shapes you in the wombs as He
pleases. There is no deity save Him, the
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Almighty, the Wise. (6)
He it is Who has sent down to you the Book,
containing verses which are clear and precise
and these are the essence of the Book and
others are allegorical. Those whose hearts have
swerved from the truth pursue that part of it
which is allegorical, seeking to create dissension
and trying to give it an arbitrary meaning. None
save God knows its final meaning. Those who
are firmly grounded in knowledge say: We
believe in it; it is all from our Lord. But only
those who are endowed with insight take heed. (7)
Our Lord, let not our hearts swerve from the
truth after You have guided us; and bestow on us
mercy from Yourself. You are indeed the great
Giver. (8)
Our Lord, You will indeed gather mankind
together to witness the Day of which there is no
doubt. Surely, God never fails to keep His
promise. (9)
As for those who disbelieve, neither their riches
nor their offspring will in the least avail them
against God; it is they who shall be the fuel of the
fire. (10)
Just like the cases of the people of Pharaoh and
those before them: they disbelieved Our revelations;
therefore, God took them to task for their sins.
Gods retribution is severe indeed. (11)
Say to those who disbelieve: You shall be
overcome and gathered unto hell, an evil resting
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15
place. (12)
You have had a sign in the two armies which
met in battle. One was fighting for Gods cause,
the other an army of unbelievers. They saw with
their very eyes that the others were twice their own
number. But God strengthens with His succour
whom He wills. In this there is surely a lesson for
all who have eyes to see. (13)
Alluring to man is the enjoyment of worldly
desires through women and offspring, heaped-up
treasures of gold and silver, horses of high mark,
cattle and plantations. These are the comforts of
this life. With God is the best of all goals. (14)
Say: Shall I tell you of better things than these?
For the God- fearing there are, with their Lord,
gardens through which running waters flow where
they shall dwell forever, and wives of perfect
chastity, and Gods good pleasure. God is
mindful of His servants, (15)
those who say: Our Lord, we have indeed
accepted the faith. Forgive us our sins and keep us
safe from the torments of the fire. (16)
They are the patient in adversity, the true to their
word, the devoted who spend in the cause of God,
and those who pray for forgiveness at the time of
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16
dawn. (17)
Overview
Based on the reports that verses 1-83 were revealed in relation to the visit by a
Christian delegation from Najrn in Yemen to Madinah and their debates with the
Prophet Muammad about the Prophet Jesus, one would expect these opening verses
to form part of those debates. However, the reports give the date of that visit as being
the ninth year of the Muslim calendar which dates from the migration, Hijrah, in 622
CE, of the Prophet Muammad from Makkah to Madinah. The ninth year of Hijrah is
also known as the Year of Delegations during which a succession of delegations
from various parts of Arabia, having seen the power and influence of Islam spread
throughout Arabia and beyond, arrived in Madinah to pay homage to the Prophet
Muammad or to conclude agreements with him or find out more about his mission.
As already pointed out, I feel that the subject matter of these verses and their
approach to the subject favour the opinion that they were revealed much earlier in
the Madinian period. Accordingly, I am more inclined to conclude that the debates
with the people of earlier revelations (i.e. the Jews and Christians), the refutation of
their distorted beliefs, the doubts they deliberately spread about the Prophet
Muammad and the faith of Islam, as well as the subsequent warnings and
reassurances addressed to the Muslims, were not directly connected with the Najrn
delegation in the ninth year of Hijrah. Other and earlier occasions must have inspired
the revelation of these verses.
We now continue to take a general look at these verses as Qurnic arguments
addressed to the people of earlier revelations but not directly linked with that event
which came at a much later date.
1

These verses, as has already been pointed out, present the on-going and
fundamental struggle between the Muslim community and its belief, on the one

1
In his commendable book, The Life of the Prophet: a version based on the Qurnic text, Muammad
Ìzzat Darwzah says: The reports suggest that the (Najrn) delegation arrived in Madinah during
the first quarter of the Madinian period (i.e. the first two and a half years). I am not sure, however,
what reports he uses to arrive at this date. All the accounts I have seen give the ninth year as the date
and mention the delegation of Najrn as only one of several other delegations (who, as is well-
established, arrived during the ninth year of Hijrah, known as the Year of Delegations). Indeed, Ibn
Kathr in his commentary, does mention the possibility that the Najrn delegation could have arrived
before the campaign of udaybiyyah (in 6 AH, 628 CE) but he does not give his sources or evidence
for such a suggestion. The suggestion that the verses were revealed in connection with the Najrn
delegation is, at any rate, concomitant with the likelihood that the delegation arrived before
udaybiyyah; in other words, if one is true, then so is the other. But if we take the numerous reports
that give the date of the delegation as the ninth year of Hijrah, we have no alternative but to
distinguish between the verses and the occasion on which the reports claim they were revealed.
l Ìmrn (The House of Ìmrn) | CONCEPTS OUTLINED
17
hand, and the people of earlier revelations and their beliefs, on the other. It is a
struggle that has never ceased since the advent of Islam, and specifically since its
emergence and the establishment of its state in Madinah. The Qurn documents this
encounter, in which the unbelievers and the Jews of Madinah emerged as close allies,
in a brilliant and succinct style.
It would hardly be surprising that certain Christian priests from distant parts in
Arabia should, in one way or another, participate in that controversy. Nor is it
implausible that some of them, whether in groups or as individuals, would have
gone to Madinah to take part in debates on the controversial aspects of the difference
between their distorted beliefs and the beliefs of the new faith, based on the concept
of Gods absolute oneness, especially the identity and nature of the Prophet Jesus
(pbuh).
The opening verses of the srah emphasise the parting of the ways between the
principle of Gods absolute oneness and that of falsehood and distortion. It delivers a
warning to those who reject the Qurn and Gods revelations it contains. All such
people are branded as unbelievers, even though they may profess to be Christian or
Jewish. It describes the Muslims attitude towards their Lord and their reactions to
His revelations in a manner that makes the situation crystal clear. This it does by
defining in no uncertain terms the true meanings of belief, or mn, and disbelief, or
kufr. (Verses 2-7, and 18-19)
The passage also carries a warning which contains a clear reference to the Jews,
when it says: Those who deny Gods revelations, and slay the prophets against all right,
and slay the people who enjoin equity among people: promise them a painful suffering.
(Verse 21) The Israelites would immediately spring to mind at the mere mention of a
prophet being slain.
The same reprimand is repeated in the instruction: Let not the believers take
unbelievers for their allies in preference to the believers... (Verse 28) Most likely this is a
reference to the Jews, although it could possibly include the idolaters as well. For,
until that time many Muslims maintained various alliances with their non-Muslim
blood relatives as well as with Jews in Madinah. The Qurn ordered them to desist
from such associations, warning them in the severest terms. Regardless of whether
those allies were Jews or non-Muslim Arabs, they were all identified as
unbelievers.
It is also obvious that the references in verse 12 are to the Badr campaign and that
they are addressed to the Jews of Madinah. Ibn Àbbs reported that having
triumphed over the Quraysh at Badr, the Prophet Muammad on his return to
Madinah called the Jews together and urged them to convert to Islam before they
met a similar fate to that of the Quraysh. Their reply was: Look here, Muammad.
18
Do not let yourself be deceived by the fact that you have done away with a few men
from the Quraysh, inexperienced in the skills of battle. Were you to fight us, you
would realise that we are the true men, and you would never fight a more
courageous people. Ibn Àbbs adds that it was on that occasion that verses 12 and
13 were revealed. (Related by Ab Dwd.)
It is also evident that although the instructions addressed to the Prophet
Muammad in verse 20 are inspired by concurrent events, they are meant to be
general and universal, relevant to confrontation with all adversaries who oppose his
faith.
Gods assertion that: If they turn away, then your only duty is to convey your message.
God is watching over His servants (20), indicates clearly that, up to that point,
Muammad was not ordered to use force against the people of earlier revelations or
to impose taxes on them. All this reinforces what has been stated previously that
these verses were revealed at an earlier stage in Madinah.
The overall purport of the passage, as we can see, indicates that they represent a
general argument that is not restricted to a particular occasion such as the Najrn
delegations visit to Madinah. Indeed, this could well be one of the events the verses
were revealed to cover, but there are frequent other occasions throughout the
struggle between Islam and its many adversaries in Arabia, especially the Jews of
Madinah.
This opening passage also includes robust expositions of the principles of the
Muslim religious outlook, complemented by a powerful elucidation of the nature of
Islam and its influences on daily life. Islam is a religion based on belief in the oneness
of God, and it therefore demands submission to God and no one else besides Him.
Islam means submission and obedience to, and compliance with, the commands and
laws of God and the teachings and leadership of His messenger. He that neither
submits, obeys nor complies is not a Muslim, and his religious belief will be rejected
by God. God accepts no other religion except that of Islam, in the sense of total
submission, obedience and compliance. This srah expresses astonishment at those
people of earlier revelations who are called to the Book of God to judge between
them, ... some of them turn away and pay no heed (23). Such obstinacy and
intransigence towards Gods Book are a sign of rejection and infidelity that negates
any claims of belief or submission to God.
The second aspect of this part of the srah revolves entirely around this
fundamental truth. Let us now turn to a closer examination of the text.
The Cornerstone of the Islamic Faith
19
Alif. Lm. Mm. God: there is no deity save Him, the Ever-living, the Eternal Master
of all. He has revealed to you this Book with the truth, confirming what was revealed
before it; and He has already revealed the Torah and the Gospel before this as guidance
for people. (Verses 1-4)
We choose as the most probable explanation of the three individual letters of the
Arabic alphabet, which open the srah, namely, Alif; Lm; Mm, the same explanation
given in our commentary on the opening passage of the preceding srah al-Baqarah.
These letters are mentioned here in order to draw peoples attention to the fact that
this book, the Qurn, is composed of the same type of letters as those available to the
Arabs addressed by it. It remains at the same time a miraculous book which they
cannot imitate despite the fact that their language is composed of the same letters.
This most probable of explanations helps us understand, without difficulty, the need
for such references to the nature of the Qurn in many srahs that open with
individual letters. In the preceding srah al-Baqarah, this reference points to the
challenge thrown down subsequently in the srah in these terms: If you are in doubt
as to what We have revealed to Our servant, then produce one srah comparable to it and call
upon all your witnesses, other than God, if you were truthful. (2: 23)
In this srah a different occasion necessitates this reference to the letters of which
the Qurn is composed. The srah stresses that this Book is revealed by God, the One
and only deity. It is yet composed of letters and words in the same way as earlier
revelations acknowledged by their followers, who are primarily addressed by this
srah. There is nothing new in the fact that God has chosen to reveal this Book to His
Messenger in this way.
The srah begins with confronting the People of the Book, a Qurnic term used to
denote people of earlier Divine revelation, especially the Jews and Christians, who
deny the Prophets message, even though their knowledge of earlier Prophets,
messages, and revelations should have made them the first to accept and believe in
the new message. That should have been the case if the matter was simply one of
evidence and conviction.
The first passage of the srah confronts these people in clear terms, dismissing all
doubts they entertain or deliberately try to raise in peoples minds. It points out how
these doubts press on the minds of people. It defines the attitude of true believers
towards Gods message and defines the attitude of doubters and those who go
astray. It vividly portrays the believers attitude towards their Lord and how they
seek refuge with Him and appeal to Him. They know all His attributes.
God: there is no deity save Him, the Ever-living, the Eternal Master of all. This
emphatic opening stresses the absolute oneness of God. It identifies itself as the very
basic difference between the faith of Muslims and all other religions and ideologies,
20
whether atheist and polytheist creeds or the religions of those people of the Book,
Jews and Christians alike, who have gone astray. It distinguishes the faith of Islam
from all other faiths, creeds and ideologies. It is also the basic difference between the
way of life of Muslims and that of the followers of all other religions. It is the faith
which determines the direction and the system of life in an elaborate and perfect
manner.
God: there is no deity save Him. He has no partner in His most essential attribute
of Divinity. The Ever-living, Who has true, self- sustaining life with absolutely no
restrictions. Hence, nothing is similar to Him in this attribute. The Eternal Master of
all, Who gives every life and sustains every existence. No life can exist in this
universe without His permission.
This is the central point at issue between the Islamic faith and all other ideologies;
between ascribing Divinity only to God and all the multitude of erring beliefs,
including idolatry, concepts which were rife at the time in the Arabian Peninsula, as
well as Jewish and Christian concepts. The Qurn tells us that the Jews used to say
that Ezra was the son of God. Something to this effect is included in the fallacies
recorded in what the Jews claim to be the Holy Book (Genesis, chapter 6). As for
erroneous Christian concepts, the Qurn speaks of the Christian belief in the Trinity
and their claim that Jesus, son of Mary, was God Himself. They also attribute
Divinity to Jesus and his mother, considering them gods. They also consider their
priests and monks to have Divine authority. In his book, The Preaching of Islam,
Thomas Arnold refers to some of these deviant concepts.
A hundred years before, Justinian had succeeded in giving some show of unity to
the Roman Empire, but after his death it rapidly fell asunder, and at this time there
was an entire want of common national feeling between the provinces and the seat of
government. Heraclius had made some partially successful efforts to attach Syria
again to the central government, but unfortunately the general methods of re-
conciliation which he adopted had served only to increase dissension instead of
allaying it. Religious Passions were the only existing substitute for national feeling,
and he tried, by propounding an exposition of faith, that was intended to serve as an
eirenicon, to stop all further dispute between the contending factions and unite the
heretics to the Orthodox Church and to the central government. The Council of
Chalcedon (451) had maintained that Christ was to be acknowledged in two
natures, without confusion, change, diversion or separation; the difference of the
natures being in nowise taken away by reason of their union, but rather the
properties of each nature being preserved, and concurring into one person and one
substance, not as it were divided or separated into two persons, but one and the
same Son and only begotten, God the Word. The council was rejected by the
Monophysites, who only allowed one nature in the person of Christ, who was said to
21
be a composite person, having all attributes divine and human, but the substance
bearing these attributes was no longer a duality, but a composite unity. The
controversy between the orthodox party and the Monophysites, who flourished
particularly in Egypt and Syria and in countries outside the Byzantine empire, had
been hotly contested for nearly two centuries, when Heraclius sought to effect a
reconciliation by means of the doctrine of Monotheism: while conceding the duality
of the natures, it secured unity of the person in the actual life of Christ, by the
rejection of two series of activities in this one person; the one Christ and Son of God
effectuates that which is human and that which is divine by one divine human
agency, i.e., there is only one will in the Incarnate Word.
2

As for deviation in the beliefs of idolaters, the Qurn speaks of their worship of
the jinn, the angels, the sun, the moon and idols. The least deviant in all their beliefs
being the assertion by some of them that they only worshipped these idols in order
that they would act as intermediaries endearing them to God.
It confronting such a great heap of erring beliefs and deviant concepts, Islam
declares in the clearest and strongest of terms: God: there is no deity save Him, the
Ever-living, the Eternal Master of all. As we have said, this declaration identifies the
central point at issue in matters of faith. Moreover, it is the departing point for
different ways of life and codes of behaviour. When belief in the existence of God, the
only God Who is Ever-living, and Who is the Eternal Master from Whom every life
and every existence are derived and Who controls every living thing, is firmly
established in someones mind, his way of life must, by necessity, be totally different
from that of a person who holds to any of the confused and erring concepts. The
latter cannot feel the influence on his life of the Divine Being, the One, who is
actually in control of his life. With the concept of the absolute oneness of God,
submission to anyone other than Him is inadmissible. There can be no room for
deriving any laws or systems, moral values, economic or social systems except from
God. He is the only One to Whom we turn for guidance in every matter which
concerns this life or in what follows this life. With all other confused beliefs and
concepts there is no one to whom we may turn. There are no boundaries
distinguishing right from wrong, what is forbidden from what is lawful. All these
can be determined only when the source from which they are derived is determined.
For it is that source to which we turn for guidance and to which we submit ourselves
in total obedience.
Hence, it was necessary to put the issue very clearly right at the outset: God: there
is no deity save Him, the Ever-living, the Eternal Master of all. This is, indeed, what
gives Islamic life its unique character, one which is not confined to the realm of

2
T.W. Arnold, The Preaching of Islam (Lahore, Sh. Muammad Ashraf, 1968), p.53.

22
beliefs only. All aspects of Islamic life are derived from this basic Islamic concept of
the total and absolute oneness of God. This concept cannot be truly established in our
minds unless its practical influence is felt in our lives, starting with deriving our laws
which relate to all fields of life from God alone, and turning to Him for guidance in
every sphere of life.
When the central issue is thus resolved by the declaration of the absolute oneness
of God and outlining His unique attributes, which no one shares with Him, are
outlined, the srah moves on to speak of the unity of the source from which all
religions, Scriptures and Divine messages are revealed. That is to say the source of
the revealed code implemented throughout all generations of human life.
The Qurn and Earlier Revelations
... And He has revealed the Criterion (to distinguish the true from the false). Those
who disbelieve in Gods revelations shall endure grievous suffering. God is Mighty,
able to requite. Nothing on earth or in the heavens is hidden from God. It is He Who
shapes you in the wombs as He pleases. There is no deity save Him, the Almighty, the
Wise. (Verses 4-6)
These initial verses provide an affirmation of several essential principles in
formulating the correct ideological concept, i.e. Islam, and for silencing the people of
earlier revelations and others who denied the Prophets message and its Divine
source. It states first the unity of the source which reveals Divine messages to
Prophets and Messengers. It is God the only deity, the Ever-living, the Eternal Master
of all Who has revealed this Qurn as He has indeed revealed the Torah to Moses
and the Gospel to Jesus (pbuh them). There can, therefore, be no confusion between
the position of the Divine Being and that of His servants. There is only One God Who
reveals messages to His chosen servants. For their part, they are servants who submit
themselves to God, despite the fact that they are Prophets sent with messages from
Him.
The verses also state the unity of Divine faith, as well as the fact that the Truth
included in the Scriptures revealed by God is also one. This Book which has been
sent down to Muammad has been revealed, with the truth, confirming what was
revealed before it, i.e. the Torah and the Gospel. All these Scriptures have been sent
down for a single purpose, that is, to serve as guidance for people. This newly
revealed Book is a Criterion distinguishing the Truth embodied in the revealed
Scriptures from all sorts of deviation and confused ideas which have found their way
into the Scriptures whether by way of personal prejudices, intellectual trends or
political considerations.
23
These verses also include an implicit insertion that there can be no valid reason for
the denial of the new message by the people of earlier revelations. In this way, it
follows the same line of earlier messages. It is a book sent down with the truth in the
same way as all revealed books and Scriptures are. It too has been revealed to a
human messenger. Furthermore, it confirms all Divine Scriptures revealed before it.
It clearly sets out the Truth which they have stated earlier. Moreover, it has been
sent down by the One Who is able to send down His revelations and Who has the
right to lay down a code of living for mankind which sets for them their concepts of
faith, law, and morality.
Verse 4 also delivers a stern threat to those who deny Gods revelations. It reminds
them of Gods might, His grievous punishment, and His ability to enforce justice.
Those who deny Gods messages are those who reject this one faith in its absolute
nature. The people of earlier revelations who have deviated from the Divine
revelations and who deny this new book, a clear criterion distinguishing right from
wrong, are the first to be described here as non-believers. They are foremost amongst
those to whom Gods threat of severe punishment and grievous suffering is directed.
Within the context of this threat an emphatic assertion is given that God knows
everything. Nothing at all can be hidden from Him: Nothing on earth or in the heavens
is hidden from God. This assertion of Gods absolute knowledge fits well with the
statement of the absolute oneness of the Divine Being Who is the Eternal Master of
all. This attribute of God is stated right at the outset, in verse 5. It also fits well with
the stern threat delivered in the preceding verse. Since nothing on earth or in the
heavens may be withheld from Gods knowledge and no secrets can be kept from
Him, then all intentions and all schemes are known to Him. Hence, nothing can
escape His fair judgement and His just punishment.
Having stated this fact of Gods absolute knowledge of everything in the universe,
the srah gently but effectively touches upon human nature with a reference to mans
origin. It is an origin well hidden from man in the darkness of mothers wombs and
in the realm to which mans knowledge cannot aspire: It is He Who shapes you in the
wombs as He pleases. There is no deity save Him, the Almighty, the Wise.
It is He Who gives you whatever shape He pleases. He also gives you your
distinctive characteristics. This He does alone, according to His absolute will, as He
pleases. For He is the only deity in the universe, and He is the Almighty Who has
the power and the ability to shape and fashion His creation, the Wise Who
determines everything according to His wisdom. He has no partner or associate to
influence what He creates and fashions.
This statement dispels all the confusion created by the Christians concerning
Jesuss birth and origin. It is God Who shaped Jesus (pbuh) as He pleased. There is
24
no truth whatsoever in the claims that Jesus (pbuh) was the Lord, or was God, or the
son of God, or a being with a dual nature: Divine and human. All deviant and
confused concepts which are at variance with the Truth of the absolute oneness of
God are false and without substance.
Two Types of Revelation
In this brief passage, the srah uncovers the reality of those who swerve from the
truth. These people turn their back on the facts stated with absolute clarity in the
Qurn, pursuing other Qurnic statements which admit more than one explanation
in order to use the same as a basis for their fabrications. It also shows the distinctive
characteristics of those who truly believe in God and submit to Him, accepting
everything they receive from Him without any doubt or argument.
One report suggests that the Christian delegation from Najrn said to the Prophet:
Do you not state that Jesus Christ was the word of God and His spirit? They
wanted to utilise this statement to support their own doctrines that Jesus was not a
human being, but the spirit of God. At the same time they paid no heed to those
unequivocal verses which emphatically state the absolute oneness of God,
categorically rejecting all claims of His having any partner or son. The report says
that verse 7 was revealed by way of reply, showing the reality of their attempt to
make use of such allegorical statements, while at the same time abandoning other
clear and precise statements.
This verse does, however, have more general significance than its relevance to that
particular historical case. It shows the attitudes of different people towards this Book
which God has revealed to the Prophet, stating the essentials of the correct concept of
faith and the basics of the Islamic way of life. It also includes other statements which
relate to matters kept beyond the realm of human perception. The human mind
cannot fathom these matters beyond what the relevant Qurnic statements point
out.
As for the basics of faith and Islamic law, these are definitively stated, clearly
understood and have well-defined aims. These are the essence of this Qurn. Those
matters which are stated allegorically, including the origin and birth of Jesus (pbuh)
are so given in order that we accept them at face value. We believe in them because
they come to us from the source which speaks the truth: their sense and form are
difficult to comprehend because, by nature, they are beyond our human, finite means
of comprehension.
Peoples reception of both types of revelation differs according to whether their
nature has remained straightforward or has swerved from the truth. Those whose
hearts have deviated and erred deliberately overlook the clear and precise essentials
25
which make up the foundation of the faith, the law and the practical way of life.
Instead, they pursue those allegorical verses which can only be accepted on the basis
of believing in their source and acknowledging that He is the One Who knows all the
truth, while human perception is limited. Acceptance of both types of revelation also
depends on human nature remaining pure and straightforward, believing as a matter
of course that this whole book is a book of truth, and that it has been sent down with
the truth and that no deviation or error can creep into it. Deviants, however, create
trouble and dissension by attributing interpretations to those allegorical statements
which shake the foundation of the faith, and which bring about confusion as a result
of forcing the human mind into a realm which lies way beyond it. None save God
knows its final meaning.
Those who are firmly grounded in knowledge and who have recognised the nature of
human thinking and the area within which the human mind can operate say with
confidence and reassurance: We believe in it; it is all from our Lord. Such scholars are
reassured because they know that it is all from their Lord; hence it must tell the truth,
simply because whatever originates with God is the truth. It is not part of the
function or ability of the human mind to look for reasons and arguments to support
it. Nor is it within its ability to fathom its nature or the nature of the causes which
give rise to it. True knowledge presupposes that the human mind need not try to
penetrate what is kept beyond it nor what man has not been given the means to
discover or understand.
This is a true description of those firmly grounded in knowledge. Only those who
are deluded by the scanty knowledge they have acquired make boastful statements
that they have acquired omnipotent knowledge and only they deny the very
existence of what they cannot understand. Furthermore, they sometimes impose their
own understanding on universal facts, allowing them to exist only in the manner
they understand them. Hence, they try to measure Gods Word, which is absolute, by
their own rational dictates formulated by their own finite minds. Those who are truly
learned, however, are much more humble in their attitude, and they readily accept
that the human mind cannot fathom the great many facts beyond its capability. They
are more faithful to human nature, recognising the truth and accepting it: ... only
those who are endowed with insight take heed.
It seems that those who have insight need only reflect and take heed in order to
recognise the truth and to have it well established in their minds. When this is
achieved they repeat their prayers in total devotion, asking God to enable them to
hold on to that truth, to not let their hearts swerve from it, and to give them of His
Abundant grace. They also remember the undoubted day when all mankind will be
gathered together, and they remember the promise which will never fail: Our Lord,
... bestow on us mercy from Yourself You are indeed the great Giver. Our Lord, You will
26
indeed gather mankind together to witness the Day of which there is no doubt. Surely, God
never fails to keep His promise.
This is the sort of attitude those who are firmly grounded in knowledge adopt,
and it is the attitude which suits the believers. It emanates from the reassurance that
what God says is the truth and that His promise will be fulfilled. It is an attitude
influenced by knowledge of Gods mercy and His grace, and by fear of what His will
may determine. It is an attitude shaped by fear of God and the great sensitivity faith
implants in the hearts of believers so that they never forget or overlook these facts at
any moment of day or night.
A believers heart appreciates the value of having guidance after being misguided,
the value of clarity after impaired vision, the value of following a straight road after
confusion, the value of reassurance after being at a loss, the value of liberation from
subjugation to other people, through submission to God alone, the value of having
high concerns after being preoccupied with pettiness. It appreciates that God has
given him all that through faith. Hence, the believer fears to return to error as much
as a person who follows a bright, clear way fears to return to a dark, endless
labyrinth, or a person who has enjoyed the cool shade fears to return to the burning
sun of the desert. Only a person who has experienced the bitter misery of unbelief
can appreciate the sweetness and happiness of faith, and only a person who has
tasted the bitterness of deviation and error can enjoy the reassurance of faith.
Hence, the believers address their Lord with this prayer which reflects their
sincere devotion: Our Lord, let not our hearts swerve from the truth after You have guided
us. They pray for more of Gods mercy which has saved them from error, provided
them with guidance, and given them what they could not have from any other
source: ... and bestow on us mercy from Yourself You are indeed the great Giver
Their faith tells them that they cannot attain anything except through Gods mercy
and grace. They do not even have control-over their own hearts; for they are in Gods
hand. Hence, they pray for Gods help. ìshah, the Prophets wife reports: Gods
messenger (peace be on him) often repeated this prayer: Lord, You are the One Who
turns hearts over. Let my heart stick firmly to your faith. I said: Messenger of God,
you often repeat this prayer. He said: Every single heart is held in between two of the
Mercifuls fingers; He will keep it on the right path if He wills, and He will let it
swerve from the truth if He wills.
When the believer appreciates that Gods will is accomplished in this way, he
realises that his only choice is to hold tight to Gods guidance, and to pray to God to
bestow His mercy on him so that he may keep the great treasure which God has
given him.
27
A Lesson for the Discerning
As for those who disbelieve, neither their riches nor their offspring will in the least
avail them against God; it is they who shall be the fuel of the fire. Just like the cases of
the people of Pharaoh and those before them: they disbelieved Our revelations;
therefore, God took them to task for their sins. Gods retribution is severe indeed. Say
to those who disbelieve: You shall be overcome and gathered unto hell, an evil resting
place. You have had a sign in the two armies which met in battle. One was fighting for
Gods cause, the other an army of unbelievers. They saw with their very eyes that the
others were twice their own number. But God strengthens with His succour whom He
wills. In this there is surely a lesson for all who have eyes to see. (Verses 10-13)
This passage follows the opening verses of the srah which outline the attitude of
the believers towards Gods revelations, whether of the clear and precise type or of
the type expressed in allegory. Here we have an explanation of the end which awaits
the unbelievers, and the Divine Law which never fails to inflict punishment on them
for their sins. A warning is also included to the unbelievers among the people of
earlier revelations who stand in opposition to Islam. The Prophet is instructed to
warn them, and to remind them of what they saw with their own eyes at the Battle of
Badr when such a small group of believers achieved a great victory over a much
larger force of unbelievers.
The context of this passage is an address to the Israelites warning them of a similar
fate to that of the unbelievers who lived before them and who may live after them. It
also reminds the Israelites of the doom which befell Pharaoh and his soldiers when
God saved the Israelites themselves. That, however, does not give the Israelites any
right to special treatment should they revert to disbelief and denial of the truth.
There is nothing to prevent them from being branded as unbelievers should they err,
and there is nothing to save them from doom either in this life or in the life to come,
in the same way as doom befell Pharaoh and his army.
They are also reminded of the fate of the Quraysh army of unbelievers at the Battle
of Badr. This drives it home to them that Gods law will never fail. Nothing will
protect them from being overwhelmed by the same fate as the Quraysh. The cause of
that fate was the Qurayshs rejection of the faith. In essence they are being told that
no one has a special position with God and no one will have any immunity except
through true faith.
As for those who disbelieve, neither their riches nor their offspring will in the least avail
them against God; it is they who shall be the fuel of the fire. (Verse 10) Wealth and
children are normally thought of as two sources of protection. Neither, however, will
be of any avail on that Day, about the arrival of which there is no doubt, because God
never fails to keep His promise. On that Day, they will be the fuel of the fire. This
28
metaphor deprives them of all the characteristics which distinguish man. They are
grouped together with logs, wood and all manner of fuel.
Indeed, wealth and children cannot be of any avail in this life, even when they are
coupled with power and authority: Just like the cases of the people of Pharaoh and those
before them: they disbelieved Our revelations; therefore, God took them to task for their sins.
Gods retribution is severe indeed. (Verse 11) This case has had frequent parallels
throughout history. God relates it in detail in this book. It is a case which outlines
Gods law, which applies to those who reject His revelations as lies. He implements
this law as He wills. Hence, no one who rejects Gods revelations can have any
immunity or safeguard.
This means that those who rejected the faith and dismissed Muammads call and
the message contained in the book God has revealed to him with the truth, lay
themselves open to the same fate in both this life and the life to come. The Prophet is
instructed to warn them against the same fate in both lives. He is further instructed
to give them the recent example of what happened to them in Badr, for they may
have forgotten the example of Pharaoh and the unbelievers before him and how they
were overwhelmed by Gods stern retribution. Say to those who disbelieve: You shall
be overcome and gathered unto hell, an evil resting place. You have had a sign in the two
armies which met in battle. One was fighting for Gods cause, the other an army of
unbelievers. They saw with their very eyes that the others were twice their own number. But
God strengthens with His succour whom He wills. In this there is surely a lesson for all who
have eyes to see. (Verses 12-13)
The statement, they saw with their very eyes that the others were twice their own
number, admits of two possible interpretations. The pronoun they, preceding the
verb saw may be taken to refer to the unbelievers, whilst the others, in this case,
refers to the Muslims. This means that despite their numerical superiority, the
unbelievers imagined the much smaller group of Muslims to be twice their own
number. This was by Gods own design. He led the unbelievers to perceive the
Muslims as a very large force when they were indeed few in number, and this put
fear into their hearts.
The same statement could be interpreted in the opposite fashion, which suggests
that the Muslims saw the unbelievers as twice their own number when in actual
fact they were three times as many. Nevertheless, the Muslims were steadfast and
achieved victory.
The most important factor here is the attribution of victory to Gods aid and His
planning. This, in itself, serves as a warning to the unbelievers and has a
demoralising effect on them. At the same time, it strengthens the believers and
decries their enemies, so much so that the believers have no fear. The particulars of
the situation pertaining at Badr required both elements. In other words, the Qurn
29
was working on both aspects.
Gods promise to defeat those unbelievers who swerve from the truth and who
reject Gods constitution is valid for all time. Similarly, Gods promise to grant
victory to the believers, even though they may be few in number, is also valid for all
time. That victory depends, in the last resort, on Gods help, which He grants to
whomever He wills. This fact also remains true for the present as for the future.
The believers need only to be certain that this is the truth and to be confident that
Gods promise will be fulfilled. They must do all in their power and then be patient
until Gods will is done. They must not precipitate events, nor should they despair if
victory seems long coming. Everything is done in Gods own good time, according to
His wisdom which determines the most suitable time for every event.
In this there is surely a lesson for all who have eyes to see. There must be eyes to see
and hearts to understand and minds to reflect, so that the lesson is fully understood.
Otherwise, lessons are given at every moment of the day and night, but few pay
heed.
False and True Comforts
The next few verses in the srah fall within that part of the Qurn which is mainly
concerned with educating the Muslim community. The first of these verses identifies
those subtle, natural incentives which cause people to deviate from the right path,
unless they are properly checked. In order to control them, one must always be on
the alert, yearn for more sublime horizons and aspire to those comforts which remain
with God, for these are indeed far superior to worldly comforts.
Pursuing worldly pleasures and giving priority to personal desires and pleasures
will no doubt distract a persons mind and prevent him from reflecting on what
fruits one is bound to reap or what lessons one can learn from the facts of life. People
are thus drowned in easy, physical pleasures, unable to see what lies beyond of
better and superior comforts. They are thus deprived of the enjoyment of looking
beyond cheap, physical pleasure, or being preoccupied with the nobler concerns
which fit with the great role of man, the creature God has placed in charge of this
great dominion, the earth.
Those physical pleasures and worldly comforts and incentives are, nevertheless,
naturally infused in man by the Creator to fulfil the essential role of preserving the
continuity of life. Hence, Islam does not approve of their suppression. It advocates
that they should be regulated, moderated and brought under control. Islam wants
man to be able to control these desires, not to be controlled by them. I lam promotes
the feeling of the sublime in man and helps him look to what is higher and superior.
30
Hence, that Qurnic statement, which is concerned with the education of the
Muslim community, mentions all these comforts and pleasures, but portrays
alongside them a variety of physical and spiritual pleasures which are provided in
the life to come for those who control their natural desires in this life. These are, in
part, the reward awaiting those who maintain their noble human standard, and who
do not allow themselves to be overwhelmed by the cheap, physical enjoyments of
this world.
In a single verse the srah groups together the most enjoyable pleasures of this life:
women, children, endless wealth, splendid horses, fertile land and cattle. These
represent the total sum of worldly pleasures, either by themselves, or because of
what they can provide for their owners by way of other pleasures. The verse which
follows, however, identifies the pleasures of the hereafter: gardens through which
running waters flow, spouses renowned for their chastity, and what is much more:
Gods good pleasure. These are in store for anyone who looks beyond the pleasures
of this world and maintains good relations with God.
Alluring to man is the enjoyment of worldly desires through women and offspring,
heaped-up treasures of gold and silver, horses of high mark, cattle and plantations.
These are the comforts of this life. With God is the best of all goals. Say: Shall I tell you
of better things than these? For the God-fearing there are, with their Lord, gardens
through which running waters flow where they shall dwell forever, and wives of
perfect chastity, and Gods good pleasure. God is mindful of His servants, those who
say: Our Lord, we have indeed accepted the faith. Forgive us our sins and keep us
safe from the torments of the fire. They are the patient in adversity, the true to their
word, the devoted who spend in the cause of God, and those who pray for forgiveness
at the time of dawn. (Verses 14-17)
Alluring to man is the enjoyment of worldly desires. In the original Arabic text, the
verb in this sentence is expressed in the passive voice which indicates that this love is
part of mans nature. Hence, this is a statement of fact. Man certainly loves to enjoy
these pleasures. There is no need, then, either to deny that love or to denounce and
condemn it. It is essential for human life so that it may continue and progress. But
there is certainly another side which is also infused in human nature and that is to
balance that love and to guard man against total consumption by it to the extent that
he loses the great effects of the spiritual element in his constitution. That aspect
provides man with the ability to look up to the sublime and to control his desires and
fulfil them in a befitting and appropriate measure. He can thus achieve his fulfilment
here but, at the same time, elevate human life spiritually and look forward to the life
to come where he can enjoy Gods good pleasure. This ability can hold worldly
desires in check, purify them and keep them within safe limits so that physical
pleasures do not overwhelm the human soul and its aspirations. To turn to God and
31
to fear Him is the way to the achievement of those aspirations.
The verse speaks of those worldly desires as being made alluring to man. There is
no suggestion, implicit or explicit, that they are contemptible, or that they should be
treated as such. We are only called upon to understand their nature in order to place
them in their appropriate place in our lives and not allow them to suppress what is
superior to and nobler than them. We are, indeed, called upon to aspire to higher
horizons after we have taken what is sufficient and necessary for us of those
pleasures.
Islam is distinguished by its realistic approach to human nature and its constant
effort to elevate rather than suppress it. Those who talk nowadays of the harmful
effects of the suppression of natural desires, or about psychological complexes
which result from such suppression, agree that the main reason for such problems is
the suppression of natural desires, not their control. Suppression stems from the
condemnation of natural desires, or looking down on them with contempt. This
places the individual under two kinds of pressure which pull in opposite directions.
There is first the emotional pressure from within, the result of social traditions or
religion, that physical desires are contemptible and should not have existed in the
first place. They are portrayed as sinful and evil. There is, on the other hand, the
pressure of these desires themselves which cannot be overcome because they are
deeply rooted in human nature, having an essential role to play in human life.
Indeed, they have not been made part of human nature in vain. As this conflict rages
within man, it gives rise to psychological complexes. This is the opinion held by
scientists specialised in psychology. Assuming that their theory is correct, we still
find that Islam has kept man safe from this conflict between the two parts of his
human soul, the temptation to indulge in wanton satisfaction of desire and seek
every type of easy pleasure and the aspirations to a nobler existence. It caters for the
fulfilment of both, combining continuity with moderation.
It goes without saying that women and children are among the most important
and strongest desires of man. Coupled with these in the text listing the desires of this
world are heaped-up treasures of gold and silver. The phrase heaped-up treasures
implies a consuming greed for wealth. If it was merely a love of wealth that is meant
here, the Qurn would simply have used the term money, or gold and silver.
Heaped-up treasures, however, adds a further connotation, that is treasure for its
own sake. The implication here being the greed to amass gold and silver, because the
mere amassing of wealth is a human desire, regardless of what that wealth may be
used for, especially in satisfying other desires.
The Qurnic verse then adds, horses of high mark. Even in the material world of
machines in which we live, horses remain among those pleasures loved and desired
by all people. A stallion combines beauty with vigour, strength, intelligence and a
32
close relationship with his owner. Even those who do not ride horses warm to the
sight of a lively horse as it runs. Cattle and plantations are then mentioned. The two
are closely linked together in our minds and in real life. People love the scene of
plants growing out of the earth, of life blossoming. When the desire of ownership is
coupled with this, then cattle and plantations are certainly craved.
All the desires mentioned in this verse are mere examples of what people strive to
have. The ones so identified were particularly appealing to the community which the
Qurn addressed for the first time, but many of them appeal to all people in all ages.
The Qurn mentions them before stating their real value so that they are given their
proper place in the list of priorities of any believer: These are the comforts of this life.
(Verse 14)
Better Than All Comforts
All these cherished desires, and all similar ones, are the comforts of this life.
Perhaps we should add here that in the Arabic text, the term this life, or duny,
connotes the lower life. Hence, they are not part of the sublime life or of the higher
horizon. They are indeed the easy comforts of the life of this world. What is better
than all this, because it is essentially nobler and it helps protect the human soul
against being consumed by worldly desires, is that which remains with God. This is
available to anyone who wants it, and it more than compensates for the pleasures of
this world: Say: Shall I tell you of better things than these? For the God-fearing there are,
with their Lord, gardens through which running waters flow where they shall dwell forever,
and wives of perfect chastity, and Gods good pleasure. God is mindful of His servants.
(Verse 15)
The Prophet is commanded to give the happy news of these comforts of the
hereafter to those who are described as the God- fearing. We note that these
comforts are, generally speaking, physical. There is, however, an essential difference
between them and the comforts of this world. These are provided only to the God-
fearing, who are always conscious of God. This consciousness has a definite
moderating influence on both the spirit and the body. It prevents man from being
totally consumed by his desires, striving like an animal to fulfil them in any way he
can. Hence, when the God-fearing look forward to these physical comforts which
they are promised, they do so with a sublimity which remains free of the
uncontrolled vigour of animal desire. Even in this life, long before they arrive in their
promised abode, close to God, they are elevated by looking forward to these
heavenly comforts.
They find in them more than a mere compensation of the worldly desires and
pleasures they miss in this world. If the pleasures of this life included fertile
33
plantations, they have in the hereafter gardens through which running waters flow.
Moreover, both they and their gardens live forever, unlike the plantations of this
world which people enjoy only for a limited period of time. In contrast to the
pleasures of women and children in this life, there are in the hereafter wives of
perfect chastity. Their purity makes them far superior to what people desire of
women in this life. As for the horses of high mark and the cattle, and the heaped-up
treasures of gold and silver, all these are viewed in this life as means to achieve more
and greater comforts. In the hereafter, all comforts are freely available to everyone.
No special means are required to achieve any ends.
There remains what is far superior to all comforts, namely, Gods good pleasure.
His pleasure is, to a believer, more precious than this life and the life to come
combined. The Arabic term which is used to express this pleasure has endless
connotations of love, tenderness, care and compassion.
God is mindful of His servants. He knows their nature and the motivations and
incentives which form part of it. He also knows what suits human nature in the way
of directives and instructions. He knows how to deal with it in this life and the life to
come.
The passage then describes the relationship of the God-fearing with their Lord,
which earns them this blessing of Gods good pleasure: Those who say: Our Lord, we
have indeed accepted the faith. Forgive us our sins and keep us safe from the torment of the
fire. They are the patient in adversity, the true to their word, the devoted who spend in the
cause of God, and those who pray for forgiveness at the time of dawn. (Verses 16-17)
Their prayer is indicative of the fact that they are God-fearing. They state first that
they are believers, before they appeal to God on the strength of that faith to forgive
them their sins and to keep them safe from the Fire.
Every one of their qualities is of great value in human life and in the life of the
Muslim community. Their patience in adversity suggests that they endure pain
without complaint. They remain steadfast, happy to fulfil the duties of their faith,
submitting themselves to God and accepting whatever happens to them as part of
Gods will and design. Being truthful shows that they hold the truth, which is the
mainstay of human life, dear to their hearts. They find lying contemptible, for lying is
indicative of a state of weakness which prevents one from telling the truth, in order
to realise some benefit or to avoid some harm.
Their devotion is a fulfilment of the duty of the servant towards his Lord.
Moreover, it elevates man because he addresses his devotion to the only God in the
universe, not to anyone else. Spending in the cause of God liberates man from the
captivity of the material world, and from the greed for wealth. It also places the
reality of human brotherhood above the desire for personal comfort. It achieves
34
social security on a mutual basis which is worthy of human life.
To pray at dawn for forgiveness adds to all this connotations of purity and
compassion. Indeed, the mere mentioning of dawn reminds us of the lovely feelings
of this particular part of the night, shortly before the break of day. At that time,
everything is beautiful, pure and still. Mans thoughts are at their purest. The inner
motives of uncorrupted human nature are at work. When we add to all this the
condition of praying to God for forgiveness, then the atmosphere is one of total
purity in both the inner soul of man and the inner soul of the universe. Both are truly
submissive to God, the Creator of both man and the universe.
The God-fearing, who are characterised by these essential qualities, will have
Gods good pleasure. They deserve it, and with it all that is associated with Gods
compassion and grace. It is certainly superior to any worldly comfort and to any of
mans desires.
We note how the Qurn deals with the human soul. Its approach begins with man
on earth. Gradually but steadily it elevates the human soul to higher horizons until it
brings it into the highest society with ease and compassion. It never forgets mans
weakness, nor his motives and nature. However, it directs mans abilities and
aspirations gently, without the suppression of any motive and without the use of
force. It is also mindful that human life should continue and progress. This is the
nature of Gods method: God is mindful of His servants.
l Ìmrn (The House of Ìmrn) | CONCEPTS CLARIFIED
35
2
Concepts Clarified
God Himself bears witness, and so do the angels
and men of knowledge, that there is no deity save
Him, the Executor of Justice. There is no deity
save Him, the Almighty, the Wise. (18)
The only true faith acceptable to God is [mans]
self-surrender to Him. Disagreements spread,
through mutual aggression, among those who were
given revelations only after knowledge had been
granted to them. He who denies Gods revelations
will find that God is indeed swift in reckoning.
(19)
If they argue with you, say: I have surrendered
my whole being to God, and so have all who
follow me. Say to those who were given
revelations and to unlettered people, Will you
also surrender yourselves (to God)? If they
surrender, they are on the right path. But if they
turn away, then your only duty is to convey your
message. God is watching over His servants. (20)
Those who deny Gods revelations, and slay the
Prophets against all right and slay people who
enjoin equity among all people: promise them a
painful suffering. (21)
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36
It is they whose works shall come to nothing in
this world and in the life to come; and they shall
have none to help them. (22)
Have you considered the case of those who have
received a share of revelation? When they are
called upon to accept the judgement of Gods book
in their affairs, some of them turn away and pay
no heed. (23)
For they claim: The fire will most certainly not
touch us save for a limited number of days. They
are deceived in their own faith by the false beliefs
they used to invent. (24)
How, then, will it be with them when We shall
gather them all together to witness the Day about
which there is no doubt, when every soul will be
paid in full what it has earned, and they shall not
be wronged? (25)
Say: Lord, Sovereign of all dominion, You
grant dominion to whom You will and take
dominion away from whom You will. You exalt
whom You will and abase whom You will. In
Your hand is all that is good. You are able to do
all things. (26)
You cause the night to pass into the day, and
You cause the day to pass into the night. You
bring forth the living from the dead, and You
bring forth the dead from that which is alive. You
grant sustenance to whom You will, beyond all
reckoning. (27)
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Let not the believers take unbelievers for their
allies in preference to the believers. He who does
this has cut himself off from God, unless it be that
you protect yourselves against them in this way.
God warns you to beware of Him: for to God
you shall all return. (28)
Say: Whether you conceal what is in your hearts
or bring it into the open, it is known to God. He
knows all that is in the heavens and all that is on
earth; and God has the power to accomplish
anything. (29)
On the day when every soul will find itself
confronted with whatever good it has done and
whatever evil it has done, they will wish that there
were a long span of time between them and that
Day. God warns you to beware of Him; and
God is Most Compassionate towards His
servants. (30)
Say: If you love God, follow me; God will love
you and forgive you your sins. God is Much-
Forgiving, Merciful. (31)
Say: Obey God and the messenger. If they turn
their backs, God does not love the unbelievers.
(32)
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38
Overview
God Himself bears witness, and so do the angels and men of knowledge, that there is
no deity save Him, the Executor of Justice. There is no deity save Him, the Almighty,
the Wise. (Verse 18)
So far the srah has concentrated mainly on establishing the basic fact of the
oneness of God, the Lord and sustainer of the whole universe, Who controls all its
affairs. It has also emphasised the unity of the Divine revelation and message. It has
described the attitudes of the true believers, and those whose hearts have swerved
from the truth, towards Gods revelations and His book. It has also threatened the
deviants with a doom similar to that which befell those who denied the truth both in
the past and in the present. It has further pointed out the natural motives which
prevent people from learning these lessons, showing at the same time how the God-
fearing turn to their Lord and seek His refuge.
Beginning with verse 18 and continuing up to verse 32, the srah now speaks of
another fact which logically results from the preceding one. The fact that God is One
and has no partners requires practical confirmation in human life and this is clearly
stated in this passage of the srah.
The passage begins with a reiteration of the fact stated in the opening verses of the
srah in order to outline its essential consequences. We have here a testimony from
God, as well as a testimony from the angels and the people of knowledge that there
is no deity save Him. Added to this is the Divine attribute which results from the fact
that He is the Sustainer of the universe, that is, He maintains justice among people
and in the universe at large.
We are required to accept this basic fact of God being the only Lord and Sustainer
of the whole universe. Our acceptance is manifested primarily by our submitting
ourselves to God alone and referring to Him in all matters. It is further manifested by
obeying God, our Eternal Master, and following His messenger and implementing
His revelations in our lives.
This is the purport of the Divine Statement: The only true faith acceptable to God is
[mans] self-surrender to Him. (Verse 19) He does not accept any other religion or
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39
creed from anyone. Islam means willing submission, obedience and conscious
following of the Prophet. This means that the religion which God accepts from
people is not merely a concept formulated in their minds, nor is it the mere
acceptance of a fact. It is, indeed, the practical translation of this acceptance and that
concept. It takes the form of implementing the Divine method in all our affairs, total
obedience to all Gods laws, and following the guidance of His messenger in His
implementation of the Divine Faith.
The passage then moves on to publicise the attitude of the people of earlier
revelations, wondering at them. Despite their claim that they follow Gods religion,
some of them turn away when they are invited to put their disputes forward to be
adjudged according to Gods revelations. Their whole claim is thus rendered
baseless. God accepts no religion other than Islam, and Islam means true submission
to God, obedience to His Prophet and the implementation of His revelations in all
spheres of life.
We are then told of the real reason for their turning away, which actually means
that they do not believe in the Divine religion. That is, they do not take seriously the
concept of reckoning and reward on the Day of Judgement: For they claim: The fire
will most certainly not touch us except for a limited number of days. (Verse 24) In this,
they rely on their belief that they are followers of a Divine book: They are deceived in
their own faith by the false beliefs they used to invent. (Verse 24) Their whole notion is a
false delusion. They are neither followers of a Divine book nor are they believers.
They have nothing whatsoever to do with the Divine faith, since they are being
invited to put their disputes to the judgement of Divine revelations, but they
continue to turn away. In such absolute clarity, God states in the Qurn the meaning
of religion and the true nature of being religious. He accepts from His servants only
one clear view: namely, the true religion is Islam, which means self-surrender. In
practice, Islam means to consider Gods book as the final arbiter and to accept its
judgement. Anyone who does not do this in practice cannot be considered a Muslim,
even though he may claim to be so or may claim to follow Gods religion. It is God
who defines and explains His own religion. His definition and explanation does not
take into account the desires or personal concepts of human beings.
Indeed, the one who takes the unbelievers, i.e. those who do not accept the
judgement of Gods book and revelations, as patrons, He who does this has cut himself
off from God. (Verse 28) There is absolutely no relationship between him and God.
This applies to those who patronise and support or seek the patronage or support of
the unbelievers who reject the judgement of Divine revelations, even though they
may claim to follow Gods religion.
The warning against such patronage which destroys faith altogether is further
elaborated upon. The Muslim community is also made aware of the true nature of
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the forces which operate in the universe. God has absolute control over it; He owns it
all, and gives kingship to whom He wills and deprives of it whom He wills. It is He
Who gives honour to, or causes to sink in contempt, whom He wills. This is only part
of the fact that He controls the whole universe and runs it as He wishes. It is He Who
causes the night to overwhelm the day and then causes the day to overpower the
night. It is He Who makes life come from death and causes death to end life. He thus
maintains justice in human life and in the universe at large. There is no need, then,
for the patronage of anyone else, no matter how powerful or wealthy they are.
These repeated, emphatic warnings give us an insight into what was actually
taking place within the Muslim community at that time and about which matters
needed further clarification. Some Muslims still maintained their family, national and
economic relations with the unbelievers in Makkah or with the Jews in Madinah.
Hence, the need for this explanation and warning. The repeated warnings also
suggest that human nature is normally influenced by the physical power of human
beings. Hence, people need to be reminded of the true nature of human power and
real power. This needs to be added to the clear explanation of the correct concept of
faith and its practical effects in life.
The passage concludes with a decisive statement that Islam means true obedience
to God and His Messenger. The way to win Gods pleasure is simply to follow His
Messenger. Gods love cannot be earned by the mere mental acceptance of His
existence, nor simply by any verbal acknowledgement of that: Say: If you love God,
follow me. God will love you and forgive you your sins. God is Much-Forgiving, Merciful.
Say: Obey God and the messenger. If they turn their backs, God does not love the
unbelievers. (Verses 31-2) The issues then are very clear: either obedience and
conscious following of the Prophet, which is what God likes, or rejection of the faith,
which is what God dislikes. There can be no meeting point between the two.
Let us now look in more detail at the significance of this passage starting with
verse 18.
The Ultimate Witness
God Himself bears witness, and so do the angels and men of knowledge, that there is
no deity save Him, the Executor of Justice. There is no deity save Him, the Almighty,
the Wise. (Verse 18)
We have here a statement of the most essential facet of Islamic ideology, namely
the fact of the oneness of God and that He is the Eternal Master of the universe Who
maintains and executes justice. It is the same principle with which this srah opens:
God: there is no deity save Him, the Ever-living, the Eternal Master of all. The ultimate
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objective of this srah is to establish in absolute clarity the true nature of the Islamic
faith, and to dispel all doubts about it raised by people of earlier revelations. It seeks
to dispel such doubts both from the minds of those unbelievers as also from the
minds of those Muslims who may fall under their influence.
A testimony from God that there is no deity other than Him is sufficient for
anyone who believes in God. Indeed, such a testimony may be thought sufficient
only for a believer in God, for he is not in need of it as such. However, this is not
absolutely true. People of earlier revelations believe in God, but at the same time they
maintain that He has a son and a partner. The idolaters themselves used to profess
that they believed in God. Their deviation and error took the form of ascribing
partners and equals and children to God. When both groups of people are told that
God Himself bears witness to the fact that there is no deity save Him, then this
statement has a marked effect in correcting their beliefs.
The matter, however, is much finer and more profound. Gods testimony that
there is no deity except Him is given here as a prelude to outlining what it entails.
Since He Himself stresses His oneness, He, therefore, does not accept from His
servants anything other than pure devotion to Him, which takes the form of Islam or
submission to Him. Such submission is not confined to the realm of beliefs and
feelings; it must be translated into total obedience to God and a conscious
implementation of His law outlined in His revelations. If we view the matter from
this angle, we will find many people in all ages claiming to believe in God but at the
same time ascribing Divinity to others. This they do when they implement a law
which is in conflict with His law, and obey those who do not follow His messenger
or His book, and when they derive their values, standards and morals from sources
other than Him. All such actions run contrary to their claim that they believe in God.
They conflict with Gods own testimony that He is the only God in the universe.
The testimony of the angels and the people of knowledge takes the form of their
total obedience to Gods orders and looking to Him alone for guidance, accepting
everything which comes to them from Him without doubt or argument, once they
are certain that it has come from Him. This srah has already referred to the attitude
of such people of knowledge: Those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: We
believe in it; it is all from our Lord. This is, then, the testimony of the people of
knowledge and the angels: total acceptance, obedience and submission.
The testimony of God, the angels and the men of knowledge to the oneness of God
is coupled with their testimony to the fact that He establishes and maintains justice,
since justice is an essential quality of Godhead. The Arabic text is phrased in such a
way as to leave no doubt that justice, at all times and in all situations, is an attribute
of God. This also explains the meaning of God being the Eternal Master of the
universe which is stated at the beginning of this srah: God: there is no deity save Him,
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the Ever-living, the Eternal Master of all. He maintains His authority with justice.
Gods control of the universe and His conduct of its affairs and of peoples lives is
always characterised by justice. Indeed, justice cannot be established in human life,
which, in turn, cannot be set on its proper course as the rest of the universe where
every single creature fulfils its function in perfect harmony with the rest of creation
except through the implementation of the method and the way of life God has
chosen for people, as outlined in His revelation. Otherwise, justice cannot be
established, harmony cannot be achieved and there can be no interrelation between
man and the universe. What takes place, then, is injustice, conflict and total ruin.
Throughout history, justice was established only during those periods when Gods
method was adhered to. These were the times when human life was set on a perfect
and straight course like everything else in the universe. However, human nature
being what it is means that human beings tend to waver between obedience and
disobedience to God. They move nearer to obedience to God whenever His method
is established and His law is implemented. Wherever man-made laws are
established, ignorance and shortcomings abound. A direct consequence of this is
injustice in one form or another: an individual may do injustice to the community, or
the community may be unjust to the individual, or one class tyrannises another, or
one nation subjugates another, or one generation treats another with injustice. It is
only Divine justice which remains free of any favouritism towards any of these. He is
the Lord of all creation Who does not overlook anything on earth or in the heavens.
There is no deity save Him, the Almighty, the Wise. The same truism of the Oneness
of God is repeated again in the same verse, but this time it is coupled with the two
attributes of Gods might and wisdom. Both power and wisdom are essential for the
purpose of maintaining justice. Justice can only be maintained when matters are set
in their proper places and with the ability to so set them. Gods attributes suggest
positive activity. Nothing in the Islamic concept associates God with any negative
attribute. This is the proper and true concept of the Divine Being, because it is His
own description of Himself. When we believe in God, in the light of His positive
attributes, our thoughts remain concentrated on His will and His power. Our faith,
then, becomes much more than an academic concept; it provides us with a dynamic
motive to act and do what is required of us.
The only true faith acceptable to God is [mans] self-surrender to Him. Disagreements
spread, through mutual aggression, among those who were given revelations only
after knowledge had been granted to them. He who denies Gods revelations will find
that God is indeed swift in reckoning. If they argue with you, say: I have surrendered
my whole being to God, and so have all who follow me. Say to those who were given
revelations and to unlettered people, Will you also surrender yourselves (to God)? If
they surrender, they are on the right path. But if they turn away, then your only duty
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is to convey your message. God is watching over His servants. (Verses 19-20)
The srah now moves on to establish the logical result that since there is only one
God, then all worship must be addressed to that one God: The only true faith
acceptable to God is [mans] self-surrender to Him.
The oneness of the Divine Being requires that all submission must be to Him.
There is nothing in peoples minds or in their lives which is not subject to Gods
authority. The oneness of God means that there is only One Being who has the right
to set values and standards for people, to require them to submit to Him, obey Him,
implement the legislation He has enacted for them in all the affairs of their lives.
There is only one faith, namely, pure submission to God alone, which is acceptable to
Him.
When we state that the only true faith acceptable to God is self- surrender to Him,
we mean true Islam. This is not merely a claim to be stated, a flag to be raised or a
detached academic concept to be discussed which does not stir hearts or minds, or
even a set of acts of worship such as Prayer, fasting and pilgrimage. This is not the
sort of Islam which God describes as the only faith acceptable to Him. True Islam
means complete obedience, total submission to God and the implementation of His
revelations in human life, as will be stated presently in the same Qurnic text.
Islam also means the oneness of the Divine Being who is the Eternal Master of all.
People of earlier revelations used to confuse the person of God and the person of
Jesus Christ. They also confused Gods will and that of Christs. They disagreed
among themselves so violently that they fought and killed one another on numerous
occasions. God, therefore, makes the reasons for these disputes clear for both the
people of earlier revelations and for the Muslim community: Disagreements spread,
through mutual aggression, among those who were given revelations only after knowledge
had been granted to them.
Their disputes did not arise out of ignorance of the truth. They had been given
certain knowledge of Gods oneness and the fact that He is the only Lord in the
universe. They were also given the knowledge they needed about human nature and
true submission to God. They simply disagreed through mutual aggression when
they abandoned the course of justice embodied in the faith and the law God revealed
to them.
Christian historians have shown that political considerations were behind these
doctrinal disputes. The same has frequently happened in both Jewish and Christian
histories. It was the hatred felt by Egypt, Syria and other regions towards the rulers
of Rome which resulted in the rejection of the official Roman doctrine and the
adoption of a different one. On certain occasions, the keenness of a Byzantine
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Emperor to maintain his rule over certain parts of his empire was the reason behind
the invention of compromise doctrines which sought to achieve the required results.
Faith to them was a ball game serving political goals. As such, it represented one of
the worst forms of injustice. Worse still, it was done knowingly and deliberately.
A timely and appropriately stern warning is then given: He who denies Gods
revelations will find that God is indeed swift in reckoning. Disagreement over the truism
of the oneness of God is thus considered a denial and rejection of Gods revelations.
The rejecters are here threatened with swift reckoning in order that people do not
persist with their disbelief, denials and disputes.
God then instructs the Prophet to make his attitude towards the people of earlier
revelations and the idolaters well known. The real issue is stated in absolute clarity.
Their fate is left to God. The Prophet, however, proceeds along his absolutely clear
path: But if they argue with you, say: I have surrendered my whole being to God, and so
have all who follow me. Say to those who were given revelations and to unlettered people,
Will you also surrender yourselves (to God)? If they surrender, they are on the right path.
But if they turn away, then your only duty is to convey your message. God is watching over
His servants.
Thereafter, there can be no further clarification. Either Gods oneness and
authority over the universe is acknowledged with its practical correlative which is
pure submission to Him, or futile arguments and excuses are pursued.
God teaches His Messenger a single word which explains his faith and way of life:
If they argue with you, in matters of faith and the oneness of God, say: I have
surrendered my whole being to God. This applies to me and also to all who follow me.
The usage here of the word follow is very significant. What is required is not a mere
acceptance of the Prophets message, but also its following in practice. Similarly, the
phrase surrendered my whole being to God is highly significant. It is not sufficient for
one to just state verbally or accept in ones mind the fact of the oneness of God. One
must also surrender ones whole being to God. Practically this means obeying God
and following His Messenger. Literally translated, the Arabic phrase says: I have
submitted my face to God. Since ones face is the noblest part of a human being,
then its submission indicates willing acceptance and implementation of Gods laws.
Such is, then, the faith of Muammad, Gods Messenger, and such is his way of
life. Muslims follow him in their faith and code of living. Let the people of earlier
revelations and unlettered people, which is a reference to the idolaters, answer the
question which is aimed at identifying each group in such a way as leaves no room
for confusion about their stance: Say to those who were given revelations and to
unlettered people, Will you also surrender yourselves (to God)? Both the idolaters and the
people of earlier revelations are placed on the same level since they are all called
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upon to accept Islam in the sense we have just explained. They are called upon to
acknowledge the oneness of God and that He is the only Master of the whole
universe. They are also required, when they have made this acknowledgement, to
make it a practical reality through the implementation of Gods revelations in human
life.
If they surrender, they are on the right path. Right guidance has only one form,
namely, Islam in its fullest meaning. There is simply no other form, concept,
situation, or code which reflects right guidance. Anything which is in conflict with
Islam represents error, ignorance, confusion and rejection of the truth.
But if they turn away, then your only duty is to convey your message. The Prophets
task is simply to convey his message. When he has done this, his mission is over.
This applied before God commanded the Prophet to fight those who rejected Islam
until they either accepted its faith and submitted to it, or until they pledged their
obedience to its political authority by paying a loyalty tax. No one is compelled to
accept the faith.
God is watching over His servants. He conducts all their affairs as He wishes and
according to His knowledge. The ultimate decision is with Him. However, they are
made fully aware of the fate that awaits them and all transgressors who, like them,
reject the true faith.
When Prophets Are Killed
Those who deny Gods revelations, and slay the Prophets against all right and slay
people who enjoin equity among all people: promise them a painful suffering. It is they
whose works shall come to nothing in this world and in the life to come; and they shall
have none to help them. Have you considered the case of those who have received a
share of revelation? When they are called upon to accept the judgement of Gods book
in their affairs, some of them turn away and pay no heed. For they claim: The fire
will most certainly not touch us save for a limited number of days. They are deceived
in their own faith by the false beliefs they used to invent. How, then, will it be with
them when We shall gather them all together to witness the Day about which there is
no doubt, when every soul will be paid in full what it has earned, and they shall not be
wronged? (Verses 21-5)
The first verse in the above passage, verse 21, warns against a painful suffering. Its
timing is not specified. Hence, it is to be expected either in this life or in the life to
come. It is coupled with an assurance that all their works shall come to nothing in
either life. This is given in a highly vivid mode of expression which draws upon a
well-known image of an animal grazing in a poisoned area. It swells up before it
dies. Similarly, the actions of such people may appear to gather momentum and to
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yield great results. This is no more than the swelling up of a poisoned animal prior to
its death. All their actions are thus aborted and they will have no one to help or
defend them.
We note that the denial and rejection of Gods revelation is coupled in the
Qurnic statement with the totally unjust killing of the Prophets for there can be
no right respected when a Prophet is killed. Furthermore, the killing of those who
enjoin equity in human life, which is a reference to those who advocate the
implementation of the code God has laid down for human life, which is based on
justice and which alone can maintain absolute justice, suggests that the warning is
directed at the Jews, for such are their distinctive qualities in history. This does not
mean that the warning is not also directed to Christians who in the past killed many
thousands of followers of doctrines which were at variance with that adopted by the
Roman Empire, including those who declared that God was One and that Jesus
Christ was a human being. This latter group are included among those who enjoin
equity among all people. It is also a permanent warning to anyone who may
perpetrate such ghastly crimes, and these may live in any and every age.
It is worth remembering that when the expression those who deny Gods
revelations is mentioned in the Qurn, it does not simply refer to those who may
declare themselves to be unbelievers. Instead, anyone who does not acknowledge the
oneness of God and that He alone is worthy of worship is included in this group.
Such a recognition entails that the authority to legislate and to set values and
standards for human life belongs only to God. Anyone who claims or attributes any
measure of that authority to anyone other than God is either an idolater or an
unbeliever, even though he may claim a thousand times that he believes in God. The
verses which follow confirm this view.
Have you considered the case of those who have received a share ref revelation? When
they are called upon to accept the judgement of Gods book in their affairs, some of them turn
away and pay no heed. This is clearly a rhetorical question, one so delivered as to
emphasise the contradiction in the attitudes of those who have received a share of
revelation. The reference here is to the Torah in respect of the Jews and the Bible in
respect of the Christians. Each one is simply a share of Gods Divine revelation, a
portion of all the revelations God has vouchsafed to His messengers, which
emphasises the unity of Godhead, and the fact that God alone conducts the affairs of
the universe. All such revelations are in essence a single book; part of it was given to
the Jews, and another part was given to the Christians while the Muslims received
the whole book. This is because the Qurn embodies all the bases of faith and
confirms all messages God revealed in the past. It is certainly something to wonder
at, when those who have received a share of revelation are called upon to accept the
judgement of Gods book in their disputes and in all the affairs of their lives, but they
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nevertheless do not respond positively. Some of them are left behind. They turn their
backs on Gods legislation, an action that is in flagrant contradiction to their stated
belief in any portion of His book. In other words, it belies their claim that they follow
Gods revelations: Have you considered the case of those who have received a share of
revelation? When they are called upon to accept the judgement of Gods book in their affairs,
some of them turn away and pay no heed. (Verse 23)
God invites us to wonder at the people of earlier revelations when some of them,
not all, refuse to allow Gods book to judge in their affairs of both faith and life.
What, then, should our attitude be towards those who claim to be Muslims, but who
nevertheless banish Gods law from their lives, While they continue to claim to be
Muslim? This is, indeed, an example given by God so that Muslims should know the
true nature of faith, generally, and Islam, in particular. They must be careful lest they
themselves become subject to Gods condemnation for their attitude. If God Himself
so denounces the attitude of the people of earlier revelations who did not claim to be
Muslims simply because they refused to accept the judgement of Gods book in their
affairs, what degree of denunciation or condemnation would be suitable for Muslims
who adopt a similar attitude? There is no doubt that they would incur Gods anger,
be totally rejected by God and live in utter misery, deprived of Divine Mercy in any
form.
The cause of their contradictory, erroneous attitude is then given: For they claim:
The fire will most certainly not touch us save for a limited number of days. They are
deceived in their own faith by the false beliefs they used to invent.
This, then, is the reason for people turning their backs on the judgement of Gods
book. It places them in total contradiction with their claim to be believers or
followers of Divine revelation. They simply do not take seriously the notion of
reckoning on the Day of Judgement. Nor do they consider as serious the
administration of Divine justice. The import of their claim is that they will not suffer
the fire except for a limited number of days. How is this possible when they deviate
from the most fundamental principle of faith which imposes on them the duty to
accept the judgement of the Divine book in all matters? How can they make such a
claim if they truly believe in Gods justice, or even if they feel that they will definitely
be raised to God on the Day of Judgement? What they state is simply an invention
which they themselves perpetrate, and by which they are then deceived: They are
deceived in their own faith by the false beliefs they used to invent.
It is indeed a fact that believing seriously in meeting God cannot be combined
with such a futile notion in respect to His justice and reward. No man can combine
fear of God and punishment on the Day of Judgement with turning his back on
Gods rulings outlined in His book or the implementation of His law in human life.
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These people of earlier revelations stand in the same position as those whom we
meet today who claim to be Muslims but who turn their backs when they are called
upon to implement Gods laws in their lives. Some of them even go further than this
and impudently claim that human life has nothing to do with religion. They say that
there is no need to impose religion on the practical side of human life, or on
economic, social, and indeed family relations. They, nevertheless, continue their
claim to be Muslims. Some of them are so nave that they believe that Gods
punishment will be limited to purifying them of their sins only and that thereafter
they will be admitted into heaven. They ask in absolute naivety: Are we not
Muslims? It is the same false belief which was maintained by such people of earlier
revelations. They show the same conceit and they deceive themselves with the same
false beliefs which have no foundation in the religion God has revealed. Both groups
are the\ same in their rejection of the very basics of faith and in their isolation from
its fundamental practical expression, namely, submission to God and total obedience
to His commands in all affairs of life, which they receive through His messengers.
How, then, will it be with them when We shall gather them all together to witness the
Day about which there is no doubt, when every soul will be paid in full what it has
earned, and they shall not be wronged? (Verse 25)
How? This is a very stern warning which every believer shudders to face since he
knows that that Day will inevitably come and that Gods justice is certain to be done.
That belief is in no way weakened by any false hopes or invented beliefs. This
warning applies to all: idolaters and atheists, those who claim to follow earlier
revelations and those who claim to be Muslims. They are all alike in the essential fact
that they do not submit to God in their lives.
How, then, will it be with them when We shall gather them all together to witness the
Day about which there is no doubt, and when Gods justice is done? Every soul will be
paid in full what it has earned, without any injustice or favouritism. They shall not be
wronged, nor shall they receive any favours.
It is a question which remains without answer. Mans heart shakes when it
imagines what will happen.
What Gods Sovereignty Entails
Say: Lord, Sovereign of all dominion, You grant dominion to whom You will and
take dominion away from whom You will. You exalt whom You will and abase whom
You will. In Your hand is all that is good. You are able to do all things. You cause the
night to pass into the day, and You cause the day to pass into the night. You bring
forth the living from the dead, and You bring forth the dead from that which is alive.
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You grant sustenance to whom You will, beyond all reckoning. (Verses 26-7)
These verses take the form of a direct instruction from God to His Messenger and
every believer to turn to God, stating the absolute truth of the oneness of God and
that He is the only One Who controls human life and the universe at large. This latter
quality is simply a demonstration of Gods Lordship of the whole universe in which
He has no equals or partners.
When we carry out this instruction we note that it takes the form of an address
made with all humility. The rhythm of a prayer is very clear in its construction, and
its total effect is that of a heartfelt appeal. Its references to the universe as an open
book touch gently on our feelings. It groups together Gods conduct of human life
and His full control of the universe, thus stressing the absolute truth of a single
Godhead sustaining all. It also stresses the fact that human life is but one ingredient
in the life of the universe. Submission to God alone is acknowledged by the universe,
as it is indeed the proper attitude expected of man. Any deviation is a folly which
leads to perversion.
Say: Lord, Sovereign of all dominion, You grant dominion to whom You will and take
dominion away from whom You will. You exalt whom you will and abase whom You will.
This expresses the natural result of the oneness of God. Since there is only a single
deity, He is then the only Master, the Sovereign of all dominion Who has no partners.
He gives whatever portion He wishes of His dominion to whomever He wants of His
servants. What is given becomes simply like a borrowed article. Its owner retains his
absolute right of taking it back whenever he wants. No one, then, has any claim of
original dominion giving him the right of absolute power. It is simply a received
dominion, subject to the terms and conditions stipulated by the original Sovereign. If
the recipient behaves in any way which constitutes a violation of these conditions,
his action is invalid. Believers have a duty to stop him from that violation in this life.
In the life to come, he will have to account for his violation of the terms stipulated by
the original Sovereign.
He is also the One Who exalts whom He wills and abases whom He wills. He
needs no one to ratify His judgement. No one grants protection against the will of
God, and no one has the power to prevent His will taking its full course. His power is
absolute and His control is total.
The authority of God ensures the realisation of all goodness. He exercises it with
justice. When He gives dominion to anyone or takes it away from him, He does so
with justice. Similarly, it is with justice that He exalts or abases any of His servants.
This ensures real goodness, in all situations. It is sufficient that He should will
something for it to be realised: In Your hand is all that is good. You are able to do all
things.
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Gods supervision of the affairs of human beings with all that is good resulting
from it is simply an aspect of His control and, supervision of life in general and of the
universe at large: You cause the night to pass into the day, and You cause the day to pass
into the night. You bring forth the living from the dead, and You bring forth the dead from
that which is alive. You grant sustenance to whom You will, beyond all reckoning. In this
way verse 27 refers to great universal phenomena and paints them in a manner
which overwhelms mans whole being: his heart, feelings and senses. It paints a
subtle interwoven movement whereby each of the day and night enter into the other,
and whereby the living are brought out of the dead and the dead out of the living.
When man gives his full attention to the observation of this movement and listens to
the voice of uncorrupted human nature identifying its origin, he is bound to
conclude, with all certainty, that it is God Who controls it and makes it possible.
Some commentators explain that what is meant by the night and day passing into
each other is that each of them takes part of the other when one of the four seasons
succeeds another. Others believe that it refers to each of them creeping into the other
with the first shades of darkness every evening and the first rays of light every
morning. Whichever explanation we prefer, our hearts can almost visualise Gods
hand as it works in the universe wrapping one ball in darkness and opening another
to daylight, reversing one position into another. We can see the dark lines gradually
creeping into the light of day, and we can see the dawn slowly beginning to breathe,
with the darkness all around. The night stretches little by little as it gains more and
more of the hours of day at the beginning of winter, and the day stretches little by
little, gaining on the night, as summer approaches. No man ever claims to control
either movement with its fine subtleties. No rational person can ever claim that either
movement happens by chance.
The same applies to the cycle of life and death: each creeps into the other very
slowly and gradually. Every single minute death creeps into every living thing so as
to be side by side with life. Death works into a living being and life builds up. Living
cells die and disappear, while new living cells come into existence and begin their
work. Those cells which have died come back to life in a different cycle, and what
comes into life dies again in yet another cycle. All this happens within every single
living thing. The circle, however, becomes wider and the living thing dies. Its cells,
however, become minute particles which are incorporated in another formula, then
enter the body of another living being and come back to life. It is an ever continuing
cycle which goes on throughout the day and night. No man claims to control or do
any part of this whole process. No rational person can claim that it comes about by
chance.
It is a complete cycle which goes on within the whole universe and within every
living thing. It is a fine, subtle and, at the same time, great cycle brought about before
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our own eyes and minds by this brief Qurnic statement. It is a strong pointer to the
One Who is able to create, plan and control. How can human beings, then, try to
isolate themselves and their affairs from the Creator Who controls and plans
everything? How can they devise for themselves systems which satisfy their own
whims when they are only a sector of this universe, regulated by the Wise Who
knows all?
How can some of them enslave others? How can some look at others as gods when
all of them look to God for their own sustenance: You grant sustenance to whom You
will, beyond all reckoning.
This final touch puts our human hearts face to face with the greatest truism of the
oneness of God: there is only one deity Who controls, sustains, plans, owns and
grants sustenance to all. People must submit only to the Eternal Master of all, the
Sovereign of all dominion, Who exalts and abases, gives life and causes death, Who
gives His grace to whom He wills and withdraws it from whom He wills. In every
situation He ensures justice and brings about what is good.
An Unwelcome Confrontation
Let not the believers take unbelievers for their allies in preference to the believers. He
who does this has cut himself off from God, unless it be that you protect yourselves
against them in this way. God warns you to beware of Him: for to God you shall all
return. Say: Whether you conceal what is in your hearts or bring it into the open, it
is known to God. He knows all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and God
has the power to accomplish anything. On the day when every soul will find itself
confronted with whatever good it has done and whatever evil it has done, they will
wish that there were a long span of time between them and that day. God warns you to
beware of Him; and God is Most Compassionate towards His servants. Say: If you
love God, follow me; God will love you and forgive you your sins. God is Much-
Forgiving, Merciful. Say: Obey God and the messenger. If they turn their backs,
God does not love the unbelievers. (Verses 28-32)
In these verses, we have first a statement confirming the denunciation made in the
preceding verses of the attitude of those who have been given a share of Gods
revelations, but who have nevertheless turned their backs and refused to submit their
disputes for arbitration according to Gods book which lays down Gods code for
human life. They have rejected the Divine code which regulates the life of the
universe as well as human life. The preceding verses were also a prelude to the stern
warning included in the current passage against the believers forging an alliance
with the unbelievers. Since the unbelievers have no power to control the universe,
and since all power belongs to God, He alone is the guardian of the believers and
52
their allies.
In the preceding passage, the srah placed much emphasis on the fact that all
power belongs to God, Who is in absolute control of the universe and Who alone
provides sustenance to all His creation. How, then, can a believer be justified in
forming an alliance with the enemies of God? True faith in God cannot be combined
with an alliance with, or patronage of the enemies of God, who are themselves called
upon to implement Gods revelations, but who instead turn their backs in contempt.
Hence, we have this very stern warning in verse 28, making it absolutely clear that
a Muslim disowns Islam if he forges a relationship of alliance or patronage with
someone who refuses to acknowledge Gods revelation as the arbiter in life: Let not
the believers take unbelievers for their allies in preference to the believers. He who does this
has cut himself off from God. What a decisive statement! He has cut himself off from
God. He has no relationship whatsoever with Him: no faith, no tie, no support. He
never comes near to God nor has any contact with Him whatsoever.
Concessions are only granted to those who find themselves in a state of fear. Such
people may try to protect themselves by pretending to support the unbelievers, but
this must be understood to be only a verbal support given for a specific purpose. It
cannot be an expression of any firmly established alliance or deeply rooted love. Ibn
Àbbs says: The concession here must not be understood as to seek protection
through acting in support of unbelievers; it must be limited only to verbal
statements. There is no concession whatsoever for a relationship of love between a
believer and an unbeliever. It is implied here and explicitly stated elsewhere in this
srah that an unbeliever is a person who does not accept that Gods revelation be
implemented in all aspects of life. Nor does this concession permit a believer to aid
an unbeliever, in any form or way, pretending that he only seeks to protect himself.
God cannot be so deceived.
Since the case here is one of conscience and the control is exercised only through
the fear of God, Who knows everything, the warning to the believer against Gods
punishment
is given in a most unfamiliar mode of expression: God warns you to

beware of Him: for to God you shall all return.
A further warning is also driven home to man whereby he should be aware that
God watches him and knows his every action and intention: Say: Whether you
conceal what is in your hearts or bring it into the open, it is known to God. He knows all that
is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and God has the power to accomplish anything.
(Verse 29) A real threat is implied here, one which arouses mans fear and makes him
conscious that he must not make himself liable to Gods punishment which is

For further discussion on the Nafs attribute, please refer to section 1.4 of A Critique of In the Shade of
the Qurn.
53
inflicted on the basis of His knowledge and ability, and hence, cannot be avoided or
repelled.
The warning and threat are further amplified with an image of the Day of
Judgement brought before our eyes. It is indeed a fearful day, when nothing escapes
attention. Everyone will find a full and detailed account of all his actions and
intentions: On the day when every soul will find itself confronted with whatever good it has
done and whatever evil it has done, they will wish that there were a long span of time between
them and that Day. (Verse 30) This is a confrontation which leaves the human heart
and mind totally overwhelmed. Every human being is cornered by both his good and
evil actions. There is no escape. Hence, he inevitably entertains the wish that the
confrontation could be long delayed. The confrontation is, however, actually taking
place and this leaves any person totally helpless. It is important to point out that the
original Arabic text admits two different interpretations regarding that wish; it may
be taken to mean that every soul wishes that the day itself be far removed, and
alternatively that everyone wishes that the evil they have done be placed far away
from them.
The general warning to people to guard against incurring Gods anger is repeated
again, but this is coupled with a reminder of Gods compassion and mercy. There is
still a chance to take heed before it is too late: God warns you to beware of Him; and
God is Most Compassionate towards His servants. (Verse 30) These very warnings and
reminders are indicative of His compassion and that He wants only what is good for
His servants.
These verses are nothing short of a sustained campaign made in a variety of hues
and expressions. It suggests that there was at the time a real danger facing the
Muslim community in Madinah and involving relations between individuals in the
Muslim camp and their relatives, friends, or clients who belonged to the idolaters in
Makkah or the Jews in Madinah. Islam sought to lay down the foundations of the
Muslim community on the basis of its supreme tie, i.e. faith. The way of life derived
from that faith must be the only one to implement. No hesitation or second thoughts
could be tolerated in this regard.
These verses also suggest that man will need to exert sustained efforts in order to
rid himself of these pressures and shackles, in order to associate himself only with
God, and to be committed only to the Divine way of life.
Islam does not restrain any of its followers from being kind to any non-Muslim
who does not stand in opposition to Islam. The forging of alliances, however, is
different from kind treatment. An alliance means a commitment of mutual support
and loyalty. This cannot be given by any true believer except to believers who share
with him his faith in God, adopt the Divine way of life and willingly accept the
54
rulings embodied in His revelations in all their disputes.
The whole passage ends on a high note stating in absolute clarity the final verdict
on the whole issue which is central to the srah. In just a few words, the essence of
faith and submission are stated in such a way which admits of no confusion
whatsoever between faith and unfaith: Say: If you love God, follow me; God will love
you and forgive you your sins. God is Much-Forgiving, Merciful. Say: Obey God and the
messenger. If they turn backs, God does not love the unbelievers. (Verses 31-2)
True love of God is not a mere verbal claim or a spiritual passion. The claim and
the passion must be confirmed with a conscious following of Gods Messenger and
implementation of the Divine way of life. To be a true believer is not to repeat certain
words or to experience certain feelings or to observe certain rituals. True faith is total
obedience to God and His Messenger and a conscious implementation of the
constitution conveyed to us through Gods Messenger.
Imm Ibn Kathr comments on the verse which states: Say: If you love God, follow
me; God will love you and forgive you your sins. God is Much-Forgiving, Merciful. He
says: This verse gives a verdict in the case of anyone who claims to love God but
does not follow the way of life laid down by Prophet Muammad. His very claim is
an absolute lie unless he follows the Muammadan legislation in all his actions and
statements. This is endorsed by the authentic tradition of the Prophet (peace be upon
him) which states: Anyone who does something which is not in conformity with this
matter of ours will have it rejected.
In his commentary on the final verse, Say: Obey God and the messenger. If they turn
then backs, God does not love the unbelievers, Imm Ibn Kathr says this verse indicates
that to disobey Gods Messenger is to reject the faith. God does not love anyone who
may be described as an unbeliever, even though he may claim to love God.
In his well-known biography of the Prophet Muammad, Imm Ibn al-Qayyim
writes: There are well documented reports of many a person from among the
people who follow other religions or idolaters who have admitted that the Prophet
was a messenger from God and that whatever he said was the truth, but they
nevertheless did not become Muslims by that mere admission. When we consider
this fact we are bound to conclude that to be a Muslim is much more than the mere
knowledge or even the admission of the truthfulness of the Prophets message; that
knowledge and admission must be combined with conscious obedience of the
Prophet and the implementation of his religion in every aspect of life.
This faith of Islam has a distinctive component which is essential for its very
existence, namely, obedience to Gods law and following His Messenger and
referring all disputes to Gods book for arbitration. It is a fact which is derived from
the faith in the Oneness of God as preached by Islam. It is the faith based on the
55
oneness of the deity who alone has the right to impose his authority on people and
provide them with the legislation to implement and set for them the values and
standards to observe. Overall authority in human life and all its aspects belong to
God alone in the same way as He alone has the absolute authority in the whole
universe. After all, man represents only a small element of the great universe.
As we have seen, in these two opening passages of the srah, and indeed in its
very first verse, this fact is stated in absolutely clear terms: God: there is no deity save
Him, the Ever-living, the Eternal Master all. Anyone who wants to be a Muslim must
recognise this fact an accept it. This is the only form of Islam acceptable to God, Who
accepts no other faith.

56
3
The Birth and Prophethood
of Jesus (pbuh)
God raised Adam and Noah, and the House of
Abraham and the House of Ìmrn above all
mankind. (33)
They were the offspring of one another. God hears
all and knows all. (34)
Ìmrns wife said: My Lord, I vow to You
that which is in my womb, to be devoted to Your
service. Accept it from me. You alone are the One
Who hears all and knows all. (35)
When she had given birth she said: My Lord, I
have given birth to a female. God well knew
to what she would give birth. The male is
not like the female. I have named her Mary and
I seek Your protection for her and her offspring
against Satan, the accursed. (36)
Her Lord graciously accepted her. He made her
grow up a goodly child, and placed her in the care
of Zachariah. Whenever Zachariah visited her in
the sanctuary he found her provided with food. He
would say: Mary, where has this come to you
from? She would answer: It is from God. God
gives sustenance to whom He wills, beyond all
reckoning. (37)
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57
At that point, Zachariah prayed to his Lord,
saying: Lord, bestow on me, out of Your grace,
goodly offspring. Indeed, You hear all prayers.
(38)
Thereupon, the angels called out to him as he
stood praying in the sanctuary: God gives you
the happy news of [the birth of] John, who shall
confirm the truth of a word from God. He shall
be noble, utterly chaste and a Prophet from
among the righteous. (39)
[Zachariah] said: Lord, how can I have a son
when old age has already overtaken me and my
wife is barren? He answered: Thus it is. God
does what He wills. (40)
[Zachariah] said: Lord, grant me a sign. He
replied: Your sign shall be that for three days
you will not speak to people except by gestures.
Remember your Lord unceasingly and glorify
Him in the early hours of night and day. (41)
The angels said: Mary, God has chosen you and
made you pure, and raised you above all the
women of the world. (42)
Mary, remain truly devout to your Lord,
prostrate your elf (to Him) and bow down with
those who bow down in worship. (43)
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58
This is an account of something which remained
beyond the reach of your perception We now
reveal to you. You were not present with them
when they cast lots as to which of them should
have charge of Mary; nor were you present when
they contended about it with one another. (44)
The angels said: Mary, God sends you the
happy news, through a word from Him, [of a
son] whose name is the Christ, Jesus, son of
Mary, honoured in this world and in the life to
come, and shall be among those who are favoured
by God. (45)
He shall speak to people in his cradle, and as a
grown man, and shall be of the righteous. (46)
Said she: My Lord! How can I have a son
when no man has ever touched me? [The angel]
answered: Thus it is. God creates what He
wills. When He wills a thing to be, He only says
to it Be, and it is. (47)
He will teach him the book and wisdom, and
the Torah and the Gospel, (48)
and will make him a messenger to the Israelites:
I have brought you a sign from your Lord. I will
fashion for you out of clay the likeness of a bird. I
shall breathe into it and, by Gods leave, it shall
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59
become a living bird.
I will heal the blind and the leper, and bring the
dead back to life by Gods leave. I will announce
to you what you eat and what you store up in
your houses. Surely, in all this there is a sign for
you, if you are truly believers. (49)
And [I have come] to confirm that which has
already been sent down of the Torah and to make
lawful to you some of the things which were
forbidden you. I have come to you with a sign
from your Lord; so remain conscious of God and
obey me. (50)
God is indeed my Lord and your Lord, so
worship Him alone. That is the straight path.
(51)
When Jesus became conscious of their rejection of
the faith, he asked: Who will be my helpers in
the cause of God? The disciples replied: We are
[your] helpers in Gods cause. We believe in God.
Bear you witness that we have surrendered
ourselves to Him. (52)
Our Lord, we believe in what You have
bestowed from on high, and we follow the
messenger, so write us down among those who
bear witness [to the truth]. (53)
They schemed, and God also schemed. God is the
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60
best of schemers. (54)
God said: Jesus, I shall gather you and cause
you to ascend to Me, and I shall cleanse you of
those who disbelieve, and I shall place those who
follow you above those who disbelieve until the
Day of Resurrection. Then to Me you shall all
return, and I shall judge between you with regard
to everything on which you used to differ. (55)
As for those who disbelieve, I shall inflict on
them severe suffering in this world and in the life
to come; and they shall have none to help them.
(56)
But to those who believe and do good works, He
will grant their reward in full. God does not love
the wrongdoers. (57)
This which We recite to you is a revelation and
a wise reminder. (58)
The case of Jesus in the sight of God is the same
as the case of Adam. He created him of dust and
then said to him: Be, and he was. (59)
This is the truth from your Lord: be not, then,
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61
Overview
Reports of the encounter between the Yemeni Najrn delegation and the Prophet
Muammad indicate that the accounts relating to the family of Ìmrn, the birth of
Jesus, his mother Mary, and John, son of Zachariah, which appear in this srah, form
part of the argument put forward by the Qurn to counter the delegations
allegations. This argument is based on the Qurnic view that Jesus was Gods
word given to Mary and created from His spirit. The reports claim that the
among the doubters. (60)
If anyone should dispute with you about this
[truth] after all the knowledge you have received,
say: Come. Let us summon our sons and your
sons, our women and your women, and ourselves
and yourselves; then let us pray humbly and
solemnly and invoke Gods curse upon the ones
who are telling a lie. (61)
This is indeed the truth of the matter. There is no
deity save God. Indeed, it is God Who is the
Mighty, the Wise. (62)
And if they turn away, God has full knowledge
of those who spread corruption. (63)
Say: People of earlier revelations. Let us come to
an agreement which is equitable between you and
us: that we shall w ship none but God, that shall
associate no partners with Him, and that we
shall not take one another for lords beside God.
And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness
that we have surrendered ourselves to God. (64)
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l Ìmrn (The House of Ìmrn) | THE BIRTH AND PROPHETHOOD OF JESUS (PBUH)
62
Christians of Yemen raised questions other than those covered in srah 19, entitled
Maryam.
This may well be the case, but the accounts fall into the general Qurnic pattern of
citing historic events and episodes in order to establish certain facts and truths,
which are almost always the central theme of the srah in which they appear. The
amount of detail and the approach are often determined by how much the stories are
used to emphasise, highlight or evoke those facts and truths. Undeniably, narrative,
as a literary tool, is a special way of presenting and conveying facts in graphic and
lively terms and has a strong and lasting impact. It depicts ideas and concepts in a
tangible and moving manner as they translate into real life situations, and leaves
aside the merely abstract presentation of those ideas.
In this instance, we find that the narratives cover the same subjects, facts and
concepts that the srah deals with. In this way, it loses its parochial and limited
context and emerges as a fundamental element of the whole discussion, in its own
right, conveying essential and eternal aspects of Islamic concepts and beliefs.
The central theme of the srah, as already pointed out, revolves around the issue
of the oneness of God, i.e. tawd. The story of Jesus and the other accounts related to
it reinforce this concept as they refute and completely exclude the idea of offspring or
partners as far as God is concerned. The srah rejects these notions as false and nave,
and presents the birth and life of Maryam and Jesus in such a manner that leaves no
room for doubting his full humanity or that he was one of Gods messengers;
whatever applies to them applies to him. It explains the supernatural phenomena
that accompanied the birth and life of Jesus in simple, clear and reassuring terms.
The whole issue is presented as a natural and normal one that should raise no
confusion or suspicion. It simply says: The case of Jesus in the sight of God is the same as
the case of Adam. He created him of dust and then said to him, Be, and he was. (Verse 59)
Believing hearts find certainty and peace in these words, and wonder how this
evident concept could ever have been shrouded in doubt and confusion.
The other issue which is reiterated throughout this srah is that the true religion is
Islam, or total submission and obedience to God Almighty. This issue also emerges
from the narratives quite clearly. We find it in Jesuss response to the Israelites when
he says: ... I have come to confirm that which has already been sent down of the Torah and
to make lawful to you some of the things which were forbidden you..... (Verse 50) This is an
affirmation of the nature of Gods message and its purpose as being to establish a
way of life and implement a system defining what is permissible and what is not, to
be adopted and adhered to by believers. This concept of submission and compliance
is asserted by the disciples of Jesus where we read: And when Jesus become conscious
of then rejection of the faith, he asked: Who will be my helpers in the cause of God? The
disciples replied, We are [your] helpers in Gods cause. We believe in God. Bear you witness
63
that we have surrendered ourselves to Him. Our Lord, we believe in what You have bestowed
from on high, and we follow the messenger, so write us down among those who bear
witness. (Verses 52-3)
Another theme which is quite evident in this passage is a description of the
believers relationship with their Lord. It presents a host of laudable examples in the
person of that select group of Gods prophets and messengers in successive
generations. This noble example is manifested in the earnest plea by Ìmrns wife to
God Almighty regarding the new-born baby girl, in Marys conversation with
Zachariah, in the latters appeal to his Lord, and in the response of the disciples to
Gods Messenger, Jesus, and their invocations to God.
Once the narrative is completed, the srah gives a brief commentary and summary
of the facts, referring back to the accounts already cited. It expounds the true nature
of Jesus, and the nature of creation, Divine will and pure monotheism, or tawd. It
recalls how people of earlier revelations were called to believe in the oneness of God
and how they were challenged to accept it. The passage, verses 33-64, closes with a
comprehensive statement which the Prophet Muammad could use to address Jews
and Christians everywhere, those who attended the debates as well as those who did
not, until the end of time. It says: Say, People of earlier revelations. Let us come to an
agreement which is equitable between you and us: that we shall worship none but God, that
we shall associate no partners with Him, and that we shall not take one another for lords
beside God. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we have surrendered
ourselves to God. (Verse 64)
There the debate ends and the purpose of Islam and what order of human life it is
proposing become very clear. The meaning of religion and submission to God are
defined, and all distorted or falsified versions of religion or submission are rejected.
This is the ultimate objective of this section and of the srah as a whole expressed
through some of the most charming, interesting and meaningful of narratives. This is
the function of historic accounts and narration in the Qurn and these are the
premises that govern its style and presentation.
The story of Jesus is covered in srah 19, Maryam, as well as in the present srah.
When we compare the two accounts, we find certain additional, albeit brief details in
this srah. In srah Maryam, we are given a lengthy account of the birth of Jesus, but
not of his mother, while here that part is condensed but more details are given of the
message of Jesus and about his disciples. The Qurnic commentary here is longer
because the issue under debate, that of Gods oneness, religion and revelation, is
more significant and comprehensive.
Gods Chosen Servants
64
God raised Adam and Noah, and the House of Abraham and the House of Ìmrn
above all mankind. They were the offspring of one another. God hears all and knows
all. Ìmrns wife said: My Lord, I vow to You that which is in my womb, to be
devoted to Your service. Accept it from me. You alone are the One Who hears all and
knows all. When she had given birth she said: My Lord, I have given birth to a
female. God well knew to what she would give birth. The male is not like the
female. I have named her Mary and I seek Your protection for her and her offspring
against Satan, the accursed. Her Lord graciously accepted her. He made her grow up
a goodly child, and placed her in the care of Zachariah. Whenever Zachariah visited
her in the sanctuary he found her provided with food. He would say: Mary, where has
this come to you from? She would answer: It is from God. God gives sustenance to
whom He wills, beyond all reckoning. (Verses 33-7)
The narration begins with mentioning Gods chosen servants whom He has
selected for the task of conveying the one message of the single faith preached from
the beginning of creation. They are the leaders of the procession of believers in all its
phases and throughout history. We are told that these people form a continuous
chain or a lineage. However, this does not necessarily mean a family lineage, even
though they have all descended from Adam and Noah. Rather the tie which groups
them together is that they have been chosen by God and that they belong to the same
faith: God raised Adam and Noah, and the House of Abraham and the House of Ìmrn
above all mankind. (Verse 33)
This verse mentions two individuals, Adam and Noah, and two families, the
House of Abraham and the House of Ìmrn. It is, thus, made clear that Adam and
Noah have been exalted as individuals, while Abraham and Ìmrn were favoured
along with their descendants, on that basis which was firmly established in the
preceding srah al-Baqarah, with regard to Abrahams seed. This confirms that the
inheritance of prophethood and blessings is not determined by the relationship of
blood, but by that of faith: When his Lord tested Abraham with certain commandments
and he fulfilled them, He said: I have appointed you a leader of mankind. Abraham asked:
And what of my descendants? God said: My covenant does not apply to the wrong doers.
(2: 124)
Some reports suggest that Ìmrn belonged to the House of Abraham. He is, then,
mentioned here by name for a particular purpose which pertains to the stories of
Mary and Jesus. We also note that this srah makes no mention of Moses or Jacob,
who also belonged to the House of Abraham because the occasion does not require
such a reference to answer the arguments raised about Jesus, son of Mary, or about
Abraham.
A Child Dedicated to Divine Service
65
The opening verse in this section is a declaration: God raised Adam and Noah, and
the House of Abraham and the House of Ìmrn above all mankind. This serves as a
preparatory announcement and an introduction to the story which immediately
follows, giving information about the House of Ìmrn. Its events begin to unfold
with the birth of Mary.
The vow made by Ìmrns wife reveals to us the fact that she is a woman with a
heart full of faith. She looks up to her Lord making an offering of the dearest thing to
her, namely, the child she is bearing. She dedicates the child to her Lord, free of all
conditions and all partnerships, free of all claims which may be made by anyone
other than God. The Arabic term used here to denote that the offering is made
absolutely purely to God is derived from the root meaning freedom or
liberation. This in itself is very significant. No one is truly free unless he devotes
himself totally to God, liberating himself from servitude to anyone, anything, or any
value.
When submission to God alone is total, it indicates total freedom. Any other
situation is a form of slavery although it may appear in the guise of freedom.
This shows that to believe in God as the only Lord is perfect freedom. No human
being is truly free if he recognises any degree of authority which belongs to anyone
other than God. When Islam preaches the Oneness of God, it preaches the only true
form of human freedom.
The devoted prayer Ìmrns wife addresses to her Lord to accept her offering is
an indication of her total submission to God. She appears to us free from all shackles.
Her only motivation is to seek Gods pleasure and acceptance: My Lord, I vow to You
that which is in my womb, to be devoted to Your service. Accept it from me. You alone are the
One Who hears all and knows all. (Verse 35)
She is, however, delivered of a daughter, not a son: When she had given birth she
said: My Lord, I have given birth to a female. God well knew to what she would give
birth. The male is not like the female, I have named her Mary and I seek Your protection
for her and her offspring against Satan, the accursed. (Verse 36) She was hoping for a
male child, because only male children were devoted for service in temples, so that
they may free themselves from any preoccupation with anything other than worship
and prayer. When she discovered that she had given birth to a daughter, she
addressed her Lord in a sorrowful tone: My Lord, I have given birth to a female.
She realises that God is fully aware of the fact. She, however, makes the offering with
what she has, and appears to apologize for not having a male child who might have
been better able to fulfil the mission for which the baby was devoted: The male is not
like the female. In this particular consideration, a female cannot fulfil the tasks for
which the male is better suited. I have named her Mary.
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This address sounds close, familiar, made by one who feels to be having a private
conversation with her Lord, explaining what is on her mind and making her offering
gently and directly. This is the type of relationship which Gods chosen people have
with their Lord: it is a relationship of friendship, closeness and simple address, free
of all complications. They feel they are speaking with the One Who is near, loving
and certain to respond.
I seek Your protection for her and her offspring against Satan, the accursed. These are
the final words spoken by the mother as she gives up her offering to her Lord,
entrusting her baby to His care and seeking His protection for her and her offspring
against Satan. They are words which express the desire of a devoted heart. No
mother could wish for her new-born baby anything better than protection by God
from Satan.
Her Lord graciously accepted her. He made her grow up a goodly child. (Verse 37) This
acceptance is given in return for the dedication which fills the mothers heart and
motivates her to make such a dedicated vow. Gods gracious acceptance of Mary also
serves as a preparation for her to receive the breathing of Gods spirit and His word
so that she will be able to give birth to Jesus in a way which is totally unfamiliar to
human beings.
God placed her in the, care of Zachariah. (Verse 37) He made Zachariah, the chief
of-tie Jewish temple, the custody of which was entrusted to Aarons priestly
descendants, Marys guardian.
Mary was a blessed child, enjoying a state of Abundance. God ensured that she
would always have an Abundance of everything: Whenever Zachariah visited her in
the sanctuary he found her provided with food. He would say: Mary, where has this come to
you from? She would answer: It is from God. God gives sustenance to whom He wills,
beyond all reckoning. (Verse 37)
We do not wish to indulge in any discussion of the nature of the provisions made
available to Mary as others have done. It is sufficient for us to know that she was a
blessed child whose blessings benefited others around her. She had more than she
needed of everything which may be termed as provisions. Her guardian, himself a
Prophet, wondered at this Abundance and asked her how and where she got it from.
A humble servant of God as she was, she would acknowledge Gods grace, saying no
more than: It is from God. God gives sustenance to whom He wills, beyond all reckoning.
Her answer is indicative of the relationship between a believer and her Lord. She
keeps to herself the secret which exists between Him and her, referring to it with
modesty, and without any trace of boastfulness.
This unfamiliar aspect which makes Zachariah wonder serves as a prelude to the
forthcoming wonders associated with the birth of John and with the birth of Jesus.
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A Very Strange Birth
At that point, Zachariah prayed to his Lord, saying: Lord, bestow on me, out of Your
grace, goodly offspring. Indeed, You hear all prayers. Thereupon, the angels called
out to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary: God gives you the happy news of
[the birth of] John, who shall confirm the truth of a word from God. He shall be noble,
utterly chaste and a Prophet from among the righteous. [Zechariah] said: Lord, how
can I have a son when old age has already overtaken me and my wife is barren? He
answered: Thus it is. God does what He wills. [Zachariah] said: Lord, grant me a
sign. He replied: Your sign shall be that for three days you will not speak to people
except by gestures. Remember your Lord unceasingly and glorify Him in the early
hours of night and day. (Verses 38-41)
Zachariah, an old man without progeny, experienced a renewal of that yearning to
have a child of his own. This is a natural desire which cannot be suppressed even by
those who dedicate themselves to Divine Service and preoccupy themselves with
worship. God has made this desire a part of human nature so that life can continue
and progress.
Here we witness an event which demonstrates that Gods will is absolute, not
confined to what is familiar to men. Human beings tend to think that what they
know of natural laws are final, inviolable, absolute. Hence, they raise doubts about
any event which does not seem to fall within the confines of these laws. If they
cannot deny the event altogether because they know it to be an accomplished fact,
they start to fabricate legends around it.
Here we find Zachariah, a man overtaken by old age, and his barren wife who had
not had children even in her youth. As Zachariah brings up Mary, a goodly child
provided with Abundance from God, his deep natural desire to have offspring of his
own begins to stir inside him. He turns to his Lord with a passionate prayer to give
him out of His grace goodly offspring: At that point, Zachariah prayed to his Lord,
saying: Lord, bestow on me, out of Your Grace goodly offspring. Indeed, You hear all
prayers. (Verse 38) And what does this passionate prayer achieve? God answers his
prayer in a way which is not restricted to age or what is familiar to people. It is an
answer determined by Gods absolute will: Thereupon, the angels called out to him as
he stood praying with in the sanctuary: God gives you the happy news of [the birth of] John,
who shall confirm the truth of a word from God. He shall be noble, utterly chaste and a
Prophet from among the righteous. (Verse 39)
This is the sincere prayer of a man of pure heart who has placed his hopes in the
One Who hears all prayers and Who is able to answer them when He chooses. The
angels bid Zachariah rejoice at the news of the birth of a son whose name, John, is
known even before he is born. His qualities are also well known: he is to be a man of
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nobility and distinction, utterly chaste, able to control his desires and a firm believer
who will confirm the word of God. Moreover, he will be a Prophet and a righteous
man.
God has answered Zachariahs prayer in such a way that the natural phenomena
familiar to man are put aside. People may think these phenomena to be a law which
restricts even the will of God. Whatever is familiar to man and thought by him to be
an inviolable law is no more than a relative law. is neither final nor absolute. Since
man is confined by the limit ions of his age and knowledge, and since our minds can
only work within our natural limitations, we cannot appreciate any final law or
comprehend any fact which is absolute. Hence, it is more suitable for man not to
exceed the boundaries of propriety when he thinks of God. It is far better for man to
confine himself to the limitations of his own world when he speaks of what is
possible and what is impossible. He must not, in any way, try to set a framework by
virtue of his own experience and scanty knowledge in which to restrict Gods
absolute will.
The way his prayer was answered surprised even Zachariah. After all, Zachariah
was a man like us. He wanted to know from his Lord how this could happen when it
was something supernatural by the standards of human beings. He said: Lord,
how can I have a son when old age has already overtaken me and my wife is barren? He was
given an easy, simple answer which puts matters in the right perspective and which
need not be surprising to anyone: Thus it is. God does what He wills. (Verse 40)
Thus it is. The whole thing is familiar and it happens all the time when we take it
within the context of Gods absolute will and His actions which are always
accomplished. But people do not think of this nor do they remember this fact.
Thus it is, absolutely easy, unrestricted. God does what He wills. What is so
strange about Him giving Zachariah a son when Zachariah has been overtaken by
old age and his wife is barren? These restrictions apply to men because they are
familiar to men. As for God, there is nothing familiar or unfamiliar. Everything
happens according to Gods will. His will is subject to no restrictions whatsoever.
Zachariah, nevertheless, was so overwhelmed by the news that he prayed to his
Lord to give him a sign which would reassure him. He said: Lord, grant me a sign.
God directs him at this point to that which gives him the perfect reassurance. He
gives him a totally unfamiliar experience. The sign was that Zachariahs tongue was
to be tied for three days when he tried to address people, but would remain untied
when he addressed his Lord and glorified Him: He replied: Your sign shall be that for
three days you will not speak to people except by gestures. Remember your Lord unceasingly
and glorify Him in the early hours of night and day. (Verse 41)
The Qurnic account stops here. We know that this is what actually took place.
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Zachariah had an experience which was unfamiliar in his own life and in the lives of
other beings. His tongue was unable to utter a word of ordinary speech while it
uttered the praises and glorification of God. What law controls such a phenomenon?
It is the law of Gods absolute will. There can be no other explanation of this strange
event. Similarly, there is no other explanation of the birth of John when his father had
been overtaken by old age and his mother was barren.
Preparation for a Special Event
The angels said: Mary, God has chosen you and made you pure, and raised you above
all the women of the world. Mary, Remain truly devout to your Lord, prostrate
yourself [to Him] and bow down with those who bow down in worship. This is an
account of something which remained beyond the reach of your perception We now
reveal to you. You were not present with them when they cast lots as to which of them
should have charge of Mary; nor were you present when they contended about it with
one another. (Verses 42-4)
Within the context of this srah, the miraculous nature of the of birth of John, born
to Zachariah and his wife despite their respective old age and barrenness, comes as a
prelude to the account of another event around which legends have been woven,
even though it is no more than one in a series of events which prove that Gods will
is free of all restrictions. At this point, the srah begins the story of Christ with the
preparation of Mary with purification and worship to receive the spiritual light.
The angels said: Mary, God has chosen you and made you pure, and raised you above all
the women of the world. Mary, remain truly devout to your Lord, prostrate yourself Ito Him]
and bow down with those who bow down in worship. (Verses 42-3) What a great honour
to be bestowed upon her. She is chosen to receive the Divine spirit directly in the
same way as Adam, the first human being to be created, received it. She is to be the
means through which this miraculous event is shown to humanity. It is an event
which has not been repeated in the entire history of mankind. Hence, it is
undoubtedly a great moment. She, however, had no knowledge whatsoever of the
event up to that point.
The reference here to Marys purification is highly significant because the Jews did
not hesitate to raise suspicions about Marys purity in connection with the birth of
her son. Making use of the fact that such a birth is without parallel humanity, they
claimed that there must be something dishonourable behind it. Confound them.
Here we see in full light a remarkable aspect of the greatness of this religion of
Islam, one which illustrates its great origin. Muammad, who conveyed the message
of Islam, faced determined opposition by the people of earlier revelations, including
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the Christians, which manifested itself in various forms of denunciation, argument
and doubt. Nevertheless, Muammad announced what God revealed to him of the
great truth of Mary and her exaltation above all the women of the world. He did not
mince words about her great honour, even though he was involved in a debate with
people who honoured Mary and considered her honour sufficient justification for
their refusal to believe in Muammad and his message. Can there be any greater
honesty and truthfulness? This account shows beyond doubt the source from which
this religion of Islam has come and confirms the absolute honesty and integrity of the
messenger who conveyed it. He received the truth from his Lord about Mary and
Jesus and he did not hesitate to declare that truth in that debate. Had he not been a
messenger from God who describes Himself as the truth, he would not have made
that declaration at that particular time.
Mary, remain truly devout to your Lord, prostrate yourself [to Him] and bow down with
those who bow down in worship. Total obedience and constant worship. It is a life
totally devoted to God which serves as preparation for the forthcoming event.
At this point in the story and before relating the details of these great events, the
srah briefly refers to one of the purposes behind relating such historical accounts. It
proves the fact of revelation which informs the Prophet of events which he did not
attend and could not have known from any source other than God: This is an account
of something which remained beyond the reach of your perception We now reveal to you. You
were not present with them when they cast lots as to which of them should have charge of
Mary; nor were you present when they contended about it with one another. (Verse 44)
This statement refers to the competition among the custodians of the temple to
take guardianship of Mary when her mother brought her as a baby to the temple in
fulfilment of her vow to her Lord. This verse, in fact, refers to an event which is not
related either in the Old or the New Testaments, although it must have been known
to the priests and rabbis. The custodians of the temple had to cast their lots in order
to determine who would have charge of Mary. The Qurnic verse does not provide
many details, perhaps because the matter was well known to those to whom the
verse was recited, or because it does not add anything to the fact which is meant to
be told to future generations. We understand, however, that those custodians agreed
on a formula among themselves, through casting lots, to determine Marys future
guardian, just as we do nowadays when we toss up for one thing or another. Some
reports suggest that they cast their pens in the river Jordan. The river swept all the
pens away, except that of Zachariah which remained in its place. That could equally
have been the agreed formula among them, but no matter what it was, they
acknowledged his claim to be Marys guardian.
All this was of the secrets unknown to the Prophet. He did not attend those
events. Moreover, it may have been one of the secrets of the temple not told to
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anyone. The Qurnic account uses it in the debate with the learned authorities of the
people of earlier revelations as a proof of Gods revelation to His honest and
trustworthy messenger. We have no reports of any reply they might have given to
this argument. Had it been debatable, they would have argued it, considering that
that was their primary purpose.
A Miraculous Birth
The angels said: Mary, God sends you the happy news, through a word from Him, [of
a son] whose name is the Christ, Jesus, son of Mary, honoured in this world and in the
life to come, and shall be among those who are favoured by God. He shall speak to
people in his cradle, and as a grown man, and shall be of the righteous. Said she: My
Lord! How can I have a son when no man has ever touched me? [The angel]
answered: Thus it is. God creates what He wills. When He wills a thing to be, He
only says to it Be, and it is. He will teach him the book and wisdom, and the Torah and
the Gospel, and will make him a messenger to the Israelites. I have brought you a sign
from your Lord. I will fashion for you out of clay the likeness of a bird. I shall breathe
into it and, by Gods leave, it shall become a living bird. I will heal the blind and the
leper, and bring the dead back to life by Gods leave. I will announce to you what you
eat and what you store up in your houses. Surely, in all this there as a sign for you, if
you are truly believers. (Verses 45-9)
To the human mind, Jesuss birth remains the greatest of all miracles. According to
Gods will, which is free of all restrictions, it is nothing out of the ordinary.
We are told that Mary qualified, through purification, devotion and sincere
worship, to receive this honour and to be chosen for this great event. Here she is
receiving the news for the first time through the angels: The angels said: Mary, God
sends you the happy news, through a word from Him, [of a son] whose name is the Christ,
Jesus, son of Mary, honoured in this world and in the life to come, and shall be among those
who are favoured by God. (Verse 45) It is a complete piece of news which tells of the
whole affair. She receives the news in a word from God, namely the Christ, Jesus, son
of Mary. In the construction of the sentence, the name the Christ is a substitute for
the term a word. Yet, he is indeed the Word. What does this expression actually
mean?
This and similar statements are of those matters which lie beyond our human
perception. There is no way to determine what they precisely mean. They may be
part of what God referred to in His earlier statement in the srah: He it is Who has
sent down to you the Book, containing verses which are clear and precise and these are the
essence of the Book and others are allegorical. Those whose hearts have swerved from the
truth pursue that part of it which is allegorical, seeking to create dissension and trying to give
it an arbitrary meaning. (Verse 7) The matter, however, appears to be much simpler if
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our purpose is to understand this fact in such a way which keeps our hearts in direct
contact with God and His perfect creation, His limitless ability and unrestricted will.
It was Gods will that human life should start with the creation of Adam from clay.
Whether He has made Adam directly from clay or He made from clay an earlier
species which continued to develop until the humankind came into existence has no
bearing whatsoever on the nature of the secret which remains known only to God.
That is, the secret of life which was given to the first living creature, or given to
Adam if he was created directly out of lifeless clay. Both are the same in relation to
Gods work. Neither should be considered preferable to the other in explaining
existence.
Where has this life come from, and how? It is certainly something different from
dust and different from all the lifeless materials available in the earth. It is something
extra, something different. It is something which brings about certain aspects which
can never be found in the dust, clay or in any lifeless material whatsoever. How has
this secret come about? The fact that we do not know does not justify our denial of its
existence or our indulging in petty arguments as those who believe only in matter
do.
They pursue their arguments with a narrow-mindedness which cannot be
respected by any man of reason, let alone any scientist. The fact remains that we do
not know. All the attempts which we, human beings, have made with our limited
means to determine the origin of life, or to initiate life from something which is
lifeless, have achieved nothing.
We do not know, but God, Who has given life, knows. He tells us that life is a
breathing of His spirit into something. He further tells us that giving it is achieved by
a word from Him: Be, and it is. What is this spiritual breathing? How is spirit
blown into something lifeless so as to bring it into existence? This is a secret which
remains incomprehensible to human reason. We cannot achieve that understanding
because it is not part of our business. To know these answers does not benefit man in
the discharge of his mission for which God has created him, namely, to be in charge
of the earth. He will never need to create life from death. Hence, what is the value to
him of knowing the nature of life, or the nature of the breathing of the Divine spirit,
or how it has been given to Adam or to the first creature in the chain of living beings?
God tells us that the breathing of His spirit in Adam is what gave Adam his
honourable place and distinction, even above the angels. It must be, then, something
different from that mere life given to worms and germs. This leads us to consider
man as a kind of creation with a separate existence. He has a special place in the
general order of the universe which is not shared by any other creature. This,
however, is not our immediate subject. We have only made this brief reference to it
in order to warn the reader against any doubts which may arise as a result of
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arguments surrounding the advent of man.
What is important here is that God is telling us about the initiation of life. It does
not matter that we remain unable to comprehend the nature of this secret or
understand how life is breathed into something lifeless.
It was Gods will, after Adam came into existence in that direct way, to establish a
certain procedure for the regeneration of human life. This procedure requires that a
male and a female come together and that the female egg be fertilised by a male
sperm for conception to take place. Neither the egg nor the sperm is lifeless.
People were familiar with this process for countless generations until God chose to
make an exception to it in the case of an individual human being. He made his birth
similar to the very first beginning, although not exactly the same. In this case, a
female on her own receives the Divine spirit which initiates life, and the process is
completed.
Was this breathing of the spirit what is described as the word? Or, was the word
the line Gods will has taken? Or, does the word mean the command be, which
may be taken as it is or may express that Gods will has chosen something in
particular? Was the word Jesus, or is his existence derived from it? The pursuit of all
such questions can only result in creating doubts. The only true conclusion is that
God willed to initiate life in a manner which had no parallel. His unrestricted will
accomplished such an initiation of life through a breathing of His spirit, the nature of
which remains unknown to us while we understand its effects. There is no reason for
us to understand its nature because such an understanding does not add to our
ability to discharge our mission on earth, since to initiate life is not part of our
appointed task. Viewed in this manner, the whole question becomes easy to
understand and raises no doubts in our minds.
Jesus: A Testimony to Gods Free Will
The angels gave Mary the happy news of a word from God whose name was the
Christ, Jesus, son of Mary. That piece of news included his sex, name and lineage
which revealed that he descended from his mother. It also included his qualities as
well as his position with his Lord: Honoured in this world and in the life to come, and
shall be among those who are favoured by God. As given by the angels, that piece of
news refers to a miraculous aspect associated with his birth, He shall speak to people
in his cradle, a glimpse of his future, and as a grown man, his character and the type
of people to whom he belongs: and shall be of the righteous.
Mary, the pure virgin, whose experience is limited to what is familiar in human
life receives that piece of news as any girl would receive it. She appeals to her Lord
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trying to understand this highly perplexing secret: Said she: My Lord. How can I have
a son when no man has ever touched me?
The answer she is given reminds her of the simple fact which is often overlooked
by human beings, whose experience and knowledge is limited to that with which
they are familiar of causes and effects: [The angel] answered: Thus it is. God creates
what He wills. When He wills a thing to be, He only says to it Be, and it is. When the
whole question is thus referred to this basic fact, all wonder disappears. Man is
reassured and even wonders at himself for overlooking this simple and clear fact of
Gods unrestricted will.
The angel goes on to give Mary more information about the child to whom God
has chosen her to give birth in a unique way, and what his position shall be among
the Israelites. At this point the news given to Mary is interwoven with Jesuss future
as if both were taking place now, in front of our eyes, in the inimitable style of the
Qurn: He will teach him the book and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel.
The term the book, as used in the Arabic original, may be understood to mean to
write, or to mean the Torah and the Gospel. If it is the latter, then the fact that they
are mentioned immediately afterwards is perfectly acceptable usage in Arabic which
provides the details of something already mentioned in general terms. Wisdom is a
certain condition which enables a person to look at things in their right perspective,
understand what is right and follow it. To be granted wisdom is to be granted much
grace by God. The Torah is the book of Jesus in the same way as the Gospel, for it
represents the basis of the religion he preached. The Gospel is a complement
renovating the spirit of the Torah and reviving the essence of faith which had been
smothered by the Israelites. Many of those who speak about Christianity make the
mistake of neglecting the Torah when it is the basis of the religion preached by Jesus
and contains the law which should be implemented in a Christian society. The
Gospel contains only a few amendments to the Torah. Otherwise, it is a message
reviving what has already been established by the Torah. It has a refining effect on
human conscience enabling man to be in direct contact with God through the
revealed text. It is for this revival and refinement that Jesus strove, and because of
them his enemies schemed against him, as will be shown later in this srah.
And will make him a messenger to the Israelites. I have brought you a sign from your
Lord. I will fashion for you out of clay the likeness of a bird. I shall breathe into it and,
by Gods leave, it shall become a living bird. I will heal the blind and the leper, and
bring the dead back to life by Gods leave. I will announce to you what you eat and
what you store up in your houses. Surely, in all this there is a sign for you, if you are
truly believers. (Verse 49)
This verse makes it clear that Jesus was given a message to deliver to the Israelites.
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He was one of their Prophets. Consequently, the Torah revealed to Moses, containing
the law to be implemented in the life of the Israelite community and laying down
legislation for various aspects of human life, continued to be upheld by Jesus,
although it was complemented by the Gospel which places much emphasis on the
spiritual aspect of life and the role of human conscience.
The sign which he was to be granted and of which God informed his mother,
Mary, and with which he actually confronted the Israelites was the miracle of
breathing into the dead to give it life. He was to bring the dead back to life, to heal
the one who was born blind, to heal the leper and to inform people of what they eat
or store up of food in their houses, although he could not see it or know of it by his
own means.
We also note that the Qurnic text emphasises, both at the time when the angel
gives that happy news to Mary and when these matters came to take place later on,
that each of these miracles shown by Jesus to his people was given to him by God.
The Qurn quotes him as saying that and mentions the phrase by Gods leave after
every single one of them in order to emphasise that fact most strongly. That phrase
could have been left to the end of the statement, but it was used repeatedly in order
to leave absolutely no room for confusion.
These miracles in general relate to either the initiation or restoration of life, or to
the restoration of sound health which is a branch of life, or to the knowledge of
something which lies beyond ordinary human perception.
In essence, they are all particularly relevant to the birth of Jesus and the bringing
of him into existence in a fashion which is unparalleled, except in the case of Adam.
When people realise that God can enable one of His own creatures to accomplish
such miracles, they will be able to understand that He Himself is able to create that
creature in a totally unfamiliar fashion. There is, therefore, no need for any of the
great legends and unfounded reports which have been woven around the birth of
Jesus. It is sufficient for man to remember that Gods will remains free of all
restrictions. When man does not try to impose what is familiar to him on the work of
God, he will have no problem understanding how Jesus was born.
Jesus Endorsing a Message
And [I have come] to confirm that which has already been sent down of the Torah and
to make lawful to you some of the things which were forbidden you. I have come to you
with a sign from your Lord; so remain conscious of God and obey me. God is indeed
my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him alone. That is the straight path. (Verses 50-
1)
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This is the final part of the address made by Jesus to the Israelites. Here, certain
basic facts are revealed which concern the nature of Divine religion as outlined in the
messages preached by all prophets and messengers. These facts acquire an even
greater importance when stated by Jesus himself, considering all the mistaken
notions which have been formulated about his birth and his nature. All such
mistaken notions are the result of deviation from the basic truth of Divine faith
which remains the same with all messengers.
When Jesus says: And I have come to confirm that which has already been sent down of
the Torah and to make lawful to you some of the things which were forbidden you, he
highlights the nature of true Christianity.
The Torah, which was revealed to Moses, and which contained the legislation to
be implemented in the life of the community, according to the needs of that
particular time and the special circumstances of the life of the Israelites, is here
endorsed by Jesus. Indeed, his message was a confirmation of the Torah with some
modifications, making lawful to the Israelites certain things which had previously
been forbidden them. The prohibition of these things was originally a punishment
inflicted by God for certain acts of disobedience and deviation they had committed.
It was now Gods will to grant them His mercy through Jesus and to make lawful to
them again what they were forbidden for a time.
This shows that it is in the nature of any religion to include legislation to organise
the life of the community, and not to be confined to providing moral standards, or
restricted to the realms of feelings and conscience or worship and rituals. Religion is
the way of life God lays down for people to implement and a social order which
ensures that implementation.
The elements of faith and belief cannot be isolated from worship, morality or
general law in any religion which aims at organising human life according to Gods
constitution. All these elements constitute a complete whole and any dichotomy
between them is bound to nullify the effect of religion on the life of people and is
contrary to the concept and nature of faith as God defines it.
This is what has happened to Christianity. Owing to certain historical
circumstances on the one hand, and to the fact that although it was intended for a
certain period, until the last message was revealed, it continued to be upheld after its
time, and a split occurred between its legislative aspect on the one hand and its
spiritual and moral ones on the other. The deeply rooted and mutual hostility
between the Jews and the followers of Jesus caused a separation between the Torah,
which contained the legal code, and the Gospel, which placed its strong emphasis on
spiritual revival and moral refinement. Moreover, that legal code was intended for a
limited period and a particular group of people. It was the will of God that the
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permanent and comprehensive legal code for all humanity would be revealed later,
at its appointed time.
Whatever the reasons, the net result was that Christianity was reduced to a creed
which lacked a legal code. As such, it was unable to regulate the social life of the
nations which embraced it. Such a regulation of social life requires an ideological
concept with a clear interpretation of the existence of the universe and of human life,
as well as the position of man in the universe. It also requires a system of worship, a
moral code and, inevitably, a set of legislative rules derived from all these to put the
life of the community on a sound basis. This is the proper structure of religion which
ensures the establishment of a social system with a clear and sound basis and
effective safeguards. When Christianity suffered the dichotomy delineated above, it
was no longer able to provide a comprehensive system for human life. Hence, its
followers were forced to divorce their moral and spiritual values from their practical
values in all aspects of their lives, including their social system. This led to the
establishment of social systems in the Christian world on bases other than their only
natural one. Hence, they were lame systems.
This was not a simple incident or a trifling matter in human history. It was a far
reaching catastrophe, generating all the misery, confusion, perversion and
immorality which haunt the present material civilisation in all the countries which
still profess to be Christian. The case is practically the same in countries which have
discarded Christianity even though they have not introduced great changes in their
practical lifestyle.
As preached by Jesus Christ himself, Christianity, like every religion worthy of the
name, is the legal code which regulates human life on the basis of a clear ideological
concept of faith in God and sound moral values derived from that concept. Without
such a wholesome structure there can be no Christianity, and indeed no faith.
Without such a structure there can be no social system which satisfies the needs of
man, whether spiritual or practical, and which elevates human life so that it comes
into direct contact with God.
This essential fact is one of the concepts which we can deduce from Jesuss
statement: And [I have come] to confirm that which has already been sent down of the
Torah and to make lawful to you some of the things which were forbidden you. (Verse 50)
When he so addresses people, he relies on the paramount fact of the oneness of
God which is stated in the clearest of terms: I have come to you with a sign from your
Lord; so remain conscious of God and obey me. God is indeed my Lord and your Lord, so
worship Him alone. That is the straight path. (Verses 50-1)
He thus declares the essence of the ideological concept which is basic to the Divine
religion in all its forms. The miracles he performed were not of his own doing. As a
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human being, he had no power to accomplish them. He was given them by God. His
message is based, first and foremost, on the need to fear God and to remain
conscious of Him and to obey His Messenger. He also stresses that God is his Lord
and the Lord of all people. Jesus himself was not the Lord; he was the Lords servant.
Those who follow him must, therefore, address their worship to the Lord, for He
alone is worthy of worship. He concludes with a comprehensive statement of fact: to
believe in God alone and worship God alone, and to obey His Messenger and
implement the system He laid down all this is the straight path. Everything else
is deviation and cannot be part of the true faith.
An Appeal for Help
When Jesus became conscious of their rejection of the faith, he asked: Who will be my
helpers in the cause of God? The disciples replied: We are [your] helpers in Gods
cause. We believe in God. Bear you witness that we have surrendered ourselves to
Him. Our Lord, we believe in what You have bestowed from on high, and we follow
the messenger, so write us down among those who bear witness [to the truth].
(Verses 52-3)
Here the srah moves on directly to a point in time when Jesus became conscious
that the Israelites were bent on denying his message and rejecting the faith
altogether. He then appeals for helpers to convey Gods message and explain the
faith acceptable to Him.
There is, then, a wide gap in the line of the story the srah is telling. There is no
mention that Jesus was actually born, and that his mother confronted her people
acknowledging that he was her own son, and that he spoke to them straightway,
when he was still a new-born baby. There is no mention either that he began to call
on his people to abide by the teachings of the Divine faith when he was in his prime.
Nothing is mentioned either of the miracles to which reference was made in the
happy news of his birth given to his mother, as mentioned in srah 19, entitled
Maryam. Such gaps do occur in the stories related in the Qurn for the dual
purpose of avoiding unnecessary repetition, and for highlighting those episodes
which are directly relevant to the subject matter of the srah in hand.
Jesus was conscious that the Israelites had hardened their attitude against the faith
and its implementation despite all the miracles he had shown them. Such miracles
could not be accomplished by any human being. They provided concrete evidence
that they were the work of God, accomplished by His will as a confirmation of the
truth told by the messenger who demonstrated them. Furthermore, although Jesus
was also sent to remove some of the restrictions and reduce some of the obligations
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which were imposed on the Israelites, they were hardened against his message. At
this point, he made his appeal: Who will be my helpers in the cause of God. Who will
help me convey Gods message and explain it to people? Who will help me to
establish Gods method and implement His law?
Every man with a message or ideology must have helpers who support him,
believe in his message, defend it and convey it to others and make sure that it
remains in its original form when he has passed away. The disciples replied: We are
[your] helpers in Gods cause. We believe in God. Bear you witness that we have surrendered
ourselves to Him. (Verse 52)
We note here that the term they use to describe themselves is Muslim, which is a
reference to Islam in its broad sense, i.e. surrender to God, which is the essence of
true faith. They ask Jesus to bear witness to their surrender and their pledging
themselves to be Gods helpers, which means to help His Messenger and His religion
and way of life.
They then turn to God, their Lord, addressing Him directly in this very essential
matter: Our Lord, we believe in what You have bestowed from on high, and we follow the
messenger, so write us down among those who bear witness [to the truth]. The fact that
they address their pledges specifically to God is very significant. A believer makes
his covenant directly with his Lord. When the messenger conveys Gods message, the
messenger has discharged his, task in as far as faith is concerned. The pledge is made
between the believer and God and it remains binding on the believer after the
messenger has passed away. The disciples statement also includes a pledge to God
to obey His Messenger. This is again significant because it shows that the matter is
not simply a question of simple beliefs to be accepted. It is also a commitment to a
certain way of life which is received through the messenger. This is a basic factor of
this srah which is repeatedly emphasised in different moods and styles.
The disciples statement also includes another point which merits special
consideration: Write us down among those who bear witness. What testimony? And
what witnesses?
A person who surrenders himself to God and believes in the Divine faith is
required to make a testimony in favour of this faith which stresses its right to be the
religion to follow. It also points out very clearly the countless benefits this religion
gives to mankind. No one can make such a testimony unless he makes of himself a
practical example of this religion in his lifestyle, manners and morality. People will
find, in such a practical example, something superior to everything else, something
which confirms the right of this religion to continue to exist and which endorses its
superiority to all other systems, regimes and methods known to man.
Again, no one can make such a testimony unless he makes this religion the basis of
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his life, and the foundation of his society and the law both he and his community
follow. Thus, a new social order is brought about which conducts all its affairs
according to this straightforward Divine way of life. When a believer struggles to
make such a society a reality and to establish this method as the way of life followed
by that society, and when he prefers to die rather than live under any system which
does not implement a Divine constitution, he in effect gives his testimony that this
religion is more important than life itself, the most valuable possession of the living.
It is for this reason that he is called a witness.
Those disciples prayed to God to write them down among those who bear witness
to His religion. That is, they pray that God will guide and help them make of
themselves a practical example of this religion. That He will direct them to struggle
for the cause of implementing it in human life and in a society which mirrors its way
of life, even if they will have to sacrifice their lives in order to be chosen as
witnesses for this religion.
It is a prayer worthy of careful study by everyone who claims to surrender himself
to God. This is indeed the meaning of Islam as understood by the disciples and as
understood by true Muslims, who actually surrender themselves to God. Anyone
who suppresses his testimony and is reluctant to give it in favour of his religion is a
sinner at heart. If he claims to be a Muslim but chooses a lifestyle other than that of
Islam, or tries to live according to Islam within his own private life but not in the
generality of this social life, or does not strive to establish a Divine method in the life
of his society either to evade hardship or to spare his own life at the cost of his faith,
then he is one who does not give full testimony to this religion, or, indeed, he gives a
testimony against it. In so doing, he makes a testimony which deters others from
accepting this faith. Can we contemplate the fate of a person who deters others from
accepting the Divine faith through his own claim that he is a believer when actually
he is not?
Full Heavenly Reward
They schemed, and God also schemed. God is the best of schemers. God said: Jesus, I
shall gather you and cause you to ascend to Me, and I shall cleanse you of those who
disbelieve, and I shall place those who follow you above those who disbelieve until the
Day of Resurrection. Then to Me you shall all return, and I shall judge between you
with regard to everything on which you used to differ. As for those who disbelieve, I
shall inflict on them severe suffering in this world and in the life to come; and they
shall have none to help them. But to those who believe and do good works, He will
grant their reward in full. God does not love the wrongdoers. (Verses 54-7)
We come now to the end of the account of the relationship between Jesus and the
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Israelites. This begins with the verse: They schemed, and God also schemed. God is the
best of schemers. The Jews who did not believe in Jesus, the messenger God sent to
them, schemed against him in the most terrible, wicked and relentless of manners.
They made all sorts of accusations against him and against his mother, the pure, and
her fiance, Joseph the carpenter, who, according to the Gospels, had not actually
married her. They also accused Jesus of lying and taking advantage of people. They
reported him to Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor, describing him as an agitator
who stirred up the masses and encouraged rioting and rebellion. They further
accused him of being an impostor who tried to corrupt the faith of the masses.
They continued with this line of false accusations until Pilate granted them their
request of punishing him themselves as they saw fit. Pilate, a pagan ruler, dared not
take upon himself the responsibility of punishing a man whom he could not
condemn on the basis of any real evidence. These are only a few examples of the
endless scheming by the Jews.
They schemed, and God also schemed. God is the best of schemers. We note here that
the Qurn uses the same term to describe what the Jews plotted against Jesus and
what God plans for them. This, in effect, ridicules their scheming, since it will have to
be set against what God schemes. How can their scheming be compared to what God
plans? Indeed, how can their power be compared to Gods might?
They wanted to crucify and kill Jesus. God, on the other hand, willed to gather
him and cause him to ascend to Himself. He further willed to purify and cleanse him
from mixing with the unbelievers and remaining with them. Such a purification is
necessary since all unbelievers are impure. It was also the will of God to elevate the
followers of Jesus above the unbelievers until the Day of Resurrection. What God
willed came true, and the scheming of the Jews was of no consequence whatsoever:
God said: Jesus, I shall gather you and cause you to ascend to Me, and I shall cleanse you of
those who disbelieve, and I shall place those who follow you above those who disbelieve until
the Day of Resurrection. (Verse 55) How Jesus was gathered and how he ascended to
God are matters which lie beyond our human perception. They are unknown except
to God. To try to pursue these matters is of no use whatsoever in respect of faith or
its implementation. Those who pursue them will inevitably end up more confused,
struggling with complicated and endless arguments, gaining no certainty or
satisfaction whatsoever. For the whole matter is part of Gods own knowledge.
It is not difficult, on the other hand, to explain Gods statement that He has placed
those who follow Jesus above the unbelievers, and that this elevation continues until
the Day of Resurrection. Those who follow Jesus are the ones who believe in Gods
true religion, Islam, or surrender to God. Every Prophet is fully aware of the true
nature of this religion. Every messenger preached the same religion and everyone
who truly believes in the Divine faith believes in it. These believers are indeed far
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superior to the unbelievers, according to Gods measure, and they will continue to be
so until the Day of Judgement. Moreover, they prove their superiority in our
practical life every time they confront the forces of un-faith with the true nature of
faith and the reality of following Gods messengers. The Divine faith is one, preached
by Jesus, son of Mary, as preached by every messenger sent before him and by the
messenger sent after him. Those who follow Muammad at the same time follow all
the messengers sent by God, starting with Adam until the last messenger.
This comprehensive outlook conforms with the theme of the srah and its
presentation. It is also in conformity with the essence of faith.
The destiny of both the believers and the unbelievers is stated in the form of
information given by God to Jesus: Then to Me you shall all return, and I shall judge
between you with regard to everything on which you used to differ. As for those who
disbelieve, I shall inflict on them severe suffering in this world and in the life to come; and
they shall have none to help them. But to those who believe and do good works, He will grant
their reward in full. God does not love the wrongdoers. (Verses 55-7)
This statement proves the seriousness of reward and punishment, the Divine
justice which is absolute and which cannot be influenced by peoples wishes or
fabrications. The return to God, then, is inevitable. His judgement on all matters of
dispute is irrevocable. The punishment He inflicts on the unbelievers in this world
and in the life to come shall overwhelm them and they can have none to help them
against it. The believers who do good works, on the other hand, will have their
reward in full, without favouritism, but with great generosity. God does not love the
wrongdoers. Far be it from Him, then, to do anyone any wrong when He Himself
does not love the wrongdoers.
All that people of other religions claim in variance with this, particularly when
they say that their stay in hell will last only for a few days, and all their deceptive,
wishful thinking of Gods reward and their flimsy concept of Divine justice are
incorrect and without foundation.
A Challenge to Stop All Argument
This which We recite to you is a revelation and a wise reminder. The case of Jesus in
the sight of God is the same as the case of Adam. He created him of dust and then said
to him: Be and he was. This is the truth from your Lord: be not, then, among the
doubters. If anyone should dispute with you about this [truth] after all the knowledge
you have received, say: Come. Let us summon our sons and your sons, our women
and your women, and ourselves and yourselves; then let us pray humbly and solemnly
and invoke Gods curse upon the ones who are telling a lie. (Verses 58-61)
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At this point in the story of Jesus, which has been beset by controversy, the srah
adds certain comments establishing the basic facts which are deduced from such a
narration. The Prophet is instructed on how to answer the people of earlier
revelations with a decisiveness which ends all controversy and makes the facts, as
stated by Islam, absolutely clear to all. These conclusions begin in this srah with a
statement about the truthfulness of the revelations received by Muammad: This
which We recite to you is a revelation and a wise reminder. (Verse 58)
These stories and all the Qurnic instructions are revelations from God. God
recites His revelations to His Messenger. This expresses the honour and compassion
God bestows on His Messenger. What honour could be greater than that God
Himself recites to His Prophet His own revelation and wise reminder? That it is a
wise reminder needs no assertion because it states the great and basic facts which
concern man and life in a method and a style that address human nature directly and
gently, appealing to it in a friendly way, unknown in any other address.
This is followed by a final comment on Jesuss true nature and on the
phenomenon of creation in relation to Gods will, which creates everything as it has
created Jesus: The case of Jesus in the sight of God is the same as the case of Adam. He
created him of dust and then said to him: Be, and he was. (Verse 59) The birth of Jesus is
indeed amazing when compared to what is familiar to man. It is, however, far from
amazing when it is compared with the creation of Adam, the father of the human
race. The people of earlier revelations who debated and argued about Jesuss nature,
because of his miraculous birth, and wove around him all sorts of legends and
fantasies because he had no father, believed that Adam was created of dust, and that
it was the breathing of Gods spirit into him which made of him a human being. They
did not, however, weave any similar legends around Adam as they did around Jesus.
They did not claim that Adam had any Divine nature. Yet, the very element which
made Adam a human being is the same one which caused Jesus to be born without a
father: Gods spirit was breathed into both Adam and Jesus. There was also the
Divine command, Be, to initiate whatever God wanted to initiate and cause to
come into existence.
We can, then, appreciate the simplicity of the creation of Jesus, Adam and all
creatures. We find ourselves accepting it with ease and clarity. We indeed wonder
why the birth of Jesus should lead to all these disputes and arguments when it took
place according to Gods law which applies to all creation.
We can also appreciate the method of the Qurn, the wise reminder, in
addressing human nature with simple, realistic and natural logic which makes even
the most complicated of matters appear to be so simple.
When we have had this clear statement of the facts, a direct address is made to the
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Prophet reassuring him of the truth which he has received and which is recited to
him. That truth is impressed on the mind of the Prophet as also the minds of his
Companions who were exposed to the doubts raised by the people of earlier
revelations and their baseless arguments: This is the truth from your Lord: be not, then,
among the doubters. (Verse 60)
The Prophet did not entertain even the slightest of doubts as to the truth of what
was revealed to him from his Lord at any moment in his life. The fact that this
reassurance is needed, however, gives us an idea of how effective the schemes of the
enemies of the Muslim community had been at the time. It also indicates that the
Muslim community will always be subject to such schemes, and will always need
reassurance of the truth it holds in the face of all deceivers. For these renew their
scheming and adopt new methods of deception in every generation.
Now that the whole affair is stated absolutely clearly and the truth has appeared
to all, God instructs His noble Messenger to end all arguments and debates about this
straightforward affair and invite those who continue to argue to join him in a mutual
prayer to God to judge between them, in the form which is explained in the next
verse: If anyone should dispute with you about this [truth] after all the knowledge you have
received, say: Come. Let us summon our sons and your sons, our women and your women,
and ourselves and yourselves; then let us pray humbly and solemnly and invoke Gods curse
upon the ones who are telling a lie.
The Prophet did actually call on those who disputed what he said on this matter to
present themselves at a meeting to be attended by all people. All those who attended
would pray humbly and solemnly to God to curse the party which lied. His
opponents, however, feared the results of such a prayer and refused the offer. The
truth was then clear for everyone to see. The reports which we have of that particular
affair tell us that those deceivers had not accepted Islam because they were keen to
maintain their position among their people. The clergy at the time enjoyed a great
many privileges, much power, and a luxurious lifestyle. We have to remember that
those who try to turn people away from this religion, do not need any proof to accept
it. They simply follow their own interests and try to safeguard their own ambitions.
Such an attitude is bound to make people turn away from the clear truth which is
apparent to all.
When There Is Nothing More to Say
This is indeed the truth of the matter. There is no deity save God. Indeed, it is God
Who is the Mighty, the Wise. And if they turn away, God has full knowledge of those
who spread corruption. Say: People of earlier revelations Let us come to an agreement
which is equitable between you and us: that we shall worship none but God, that we
85
shall associate no partners with Him, and that we shall not take one another for lords
beside God. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we have surrendered
ourselves to God. (Verses 62-4)
In this short passage, which concludes the story of Jesus as related in this srah, we
have a statement explaining the true nature of revelation and Qurnic stories, and
the Oneness of God which is the subject matter of all this revelation. There is also a
stern warning for those who turn away from this truth in order to spread corruption
in the world: This is indeed the truth of the matter. There is no deity save God. Indeed, it is
God Who is the Mighty, the Wise. And if they turn away, God has full knowledge of those
who spread corruption. (Verses 62-3) Having been stated earlier, these facts are
repeated here, after those who disputed the true nature of Jesus with the Prophet
have rejected his invitation to them to join him in a humble prayer to God invoking
His curse upon those who lie. The only new element in this verse is the description of
those who turn away from the truth as people who spread corruption, and the
warning that God has full knowledge of what they do.
The corruption which is spread by those who reject the truth of the oneness of God
is surely great. Indeed, corruption does not appear on earth except as a result of
refusing to acknowledge this most important fact. I do not mean verbal
acknowledgement; for such an acknowledgement is of little value. Nor do I mean a
negative mental acknowledgement which leaves no practical effects on peoples
lives. What is meant is a refusal to acknowledge this fact with its far-reaching effects
on human life. The first of these stresses that the Lord of all the universe is One,
which means in effect that all worship should be addressed to Him alone. He is the
One to be obeyed and He is the only source of legislation from whom we receive our
values, standards and morality as well as everything that relates to human life. If
such an acknowledgement of the oneness of God is refused, then the person
concerned is either an idolater or a non-believer, no matter how strong his verbal
claim to believe in God is and no matter how strong his assurances are that at heart
he is a believer.
This universe, as a whole entity, is not set on its right course unless it is run by one
God who determines all its affairs: Had there been in them [i.e. the heavens and the
earth] any deities other than God, they would surely have been overwhelmed by corruption.
(al-Anbiy 21: 22) The most essential characteristics of Godhead, according to man,
are: that He be worshipped, and that He lays down legislation and sets standards for
people to apply in their lives. He who claims any of these for himself, claims in effect
to be a deity alongside God.
Corruption does not spread on earth unless Divinity is thus ascribed to beings
other than God. It is only when a human being enslaves others, claiming that he
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himself must be obeyed, or that he has the power to legislate and to set values and
standards for human society that corruption becomes rife. Such an assertion is a
claim of Godhead, even though the claimant may not state it in as many words as
Pharaoh did when he cried: I am your lord, most high. (al-Nzi`t 79: 24) To
acknowledge such an assertion by anyone is to be an idolater or to disbelieve in God.
It is indeed the worst type of corruption.
Hence, the warning in this srah is followed by an address to the people of earlier
revelations to come to an equitable agreement stipulating that worship is to be
addressed to God alone and that no partners may be associated with Him, and that
people do not take one another for lords beside God. If they reject this offer, then
there can be no agreement or argument with them: Say: People of earlier revelations.
Let us come to an agreement which is equitable between you and us: that we shall worship
none but God, that we shall associate no partners with Him, and that we shall not take one
another for lords beside God. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we have
surrendered ourselves to God. (Verse 64)
It is indeed an equitable agreement proposed by the Prophet. It does not seek to
win any favours for the Prophet himself or for the Muslim community. It only aims
to establish a clear agreement which applies to all at the same level, so that none is
elevated above another, and none enslaves another. It is the fairest of offers which
cannot be rejected except by those corrupters who have determined not to abide by
the truth. According to this agreement, all will submit to God as His servants. None
is His partner. He has chosen them to convey His message to mankind, not to share
with Him His Divinity and Lordship.
If they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we have surrendered ourselves to God. If
they decline to worship God alone without partners and to submit themselves to
Him alone, when worship and submission are the two clear aspects which determine
peoples attitudes towards God, then the Muslims have to declare their own attitude
of surrendering themselves to God. The contrast shown here is between the Muslims
and those who take one another for lords beside God, and it demonstrates decisively
who the true Muslims are.
They are indeed those who worship God alone, submit to Him and do not enslave
one another. These are the characteristics which distinguish them from the followers
of all other religions. These characteristics single out the Islamic way of life as unique
among all the alternatives known to man. When these characteristics apply to a
certain community, it is a Muslim community. When these characteristics do not
exist in a community it cannot be described as Muslim, even though people may
emphatically profess that they are Muslims. Islam is the total liberation of man from
enslavement by others. The Islamic system is the only one which makes that
liberation a reality.
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In all man-made systems, people enslave one another, and take one another for
lords beside God. This happens in the most advanced democracies as well as in the
worst types of dictatorship. Under all human systems, the authority to legislate and
set values and standards is claimed by a group of people, in one form or another,
who have the final authority. This group, which requires others to submit to its
legislation, are the lords. They are acknowledged by the others as such since they
allow them to claim for themselves the essential characteristics of Godhead. When
people do acknowledge this authority for such a group, they are in effect
worshipping them although they may not bow or prostrate before them.
It is only under Islam that man is free from such subjugation. He is free because he
receives his values, standards, morality, systems, laws and legislation from God
alone like everyone else who does the same. All people under the Islamic system
stand at one level, looking up to one Lord Who is the Master of them all. None claims
lordship over others. Submission to God, in this sense, is the Divine faith preached
by every messenger God sent to man. When God sent His messengers to preach this
faith, their task was to help people free themselves from subjugation to others, so
that worship of God alone could be established. They were to help liberate people
from the injustice inflicted by human beings so that they could enjoy Gods absolute
justice. Those who reject the message of the Prophets are not Muslims, no matter
how deceptively and persuasively they may try to describe themselves as such. For,
In the sight of God, the true faith is [mans] self-surrender to Him. That is indeed the
meaning of Islam.

88
4
The Heirs of Abrahams
Faith
People of earlier revelations! Why do you argue
about Abraham when both the Torah and the
Gospel were not revealed till after him? Have you
no sense? (65)
You have indeed argued about that of which you
have some knowledge; why then do you argue
about that of which you have no knowledge at
all? God knows, whereas you do not know. (66)
Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian; but
he was wholly devoted to God, having surrendered
himself to Him. He was not of those who
associate partners with God. (67)
The people who have the best claim to Abraham
are those who followed him, and this Prophet and
those who are true believers. God is the Guardian
of the believers. (68)
A party of the people of earlier revelations would
love to lead you astray; but they lead astray none
but themselves, although they may not perceive it.
(69)
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89
People of earlier revelations! Why do you
disbelieve in Gods revelations when you yourselves
bear witness [to their truth]? (70)
People of earlier revelations! Why do you cloak
the truth with falsehood, and knowingly conceal
the truth? (71)
A party of the people of earlier revelations say [to
one another]: Declare at the beginning of the
day, that you believe in what has been revealed to
the believers, and then deny it at the end of the
day, so that they may go back on their faith. (72)
But do not really trust anyone except those who
follow your own faith Say: All true
guidance is Gods guidance That anyone may
be given the like of what you have been given. Or
that they should contend against you before your
Lord. Say: Grace is in Gods hand: He
bestows it on whom He wills. God is Munificent
and All- Knowing. (73)
He singles out for His mercy whom He wills.
And Gods grace is great indeed. (74)
Among the people of earlier revelations there is
many a one who, if you trust him with a treasure,
will return it to you intact; and there is among
them many a one who, if you trust him with a
small gold coin, will not return it to you, unless
you keep standing over him. For they say: We
have no obligation to keep faith with Gentiles.
Thus they deliberately say of God what they
know to be a lie. (75)
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90
Indeed those who fulfil their pledges and guard
themselves against evil [enjoy Gods love]; for God
loves the righteous. (76)
Those who barter away their covenant with God
and their oaths for a trifling gain will have no
share in the life to come. God will neither speak to
them, nor cast a look on them on the Day of
Resurrection, nor will He cleanse them of their
sins. Theirs will be a grievous suffering. (77)
There are some among them who twist their
tongues when quoting the Scriptures, so that you
may think that [what they say] is from the
Scriptures, when it is not from the Scriptures.
They say: It is from God, when it is not from
God. Thus, they deliberately say of God what
they know to be a lie. (78)
It is not conceivable that any human being to
whom God had given revelation and wisdom and
prophethood would subsequently say to people:
Worship me instead of God. But rather: Be
devoted servants of God, by virtue of spreading the
knowledge of the Scriptures and your constant
study of them. (79)
Nor would he bid you to take the angels and the
Prophets as your gods. Would he bid you to be
unbelievers after you have surrendered yourselves
to God? (80)
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91

God made a covenant with the Prophets: If,
after what I have vouchsafed to you of the
Scriptures and wisdom, there comes to you a
messenger confirming the truth of what you have
in your possession, you shall believe in him and
you shall help him. Do you, said He, affirm
this and accept the obligation I lay upon you in
these terms? They answered: We do affirm it.
Said He: Then bear witness, and I am also a
witness with you. (81)
Then those who turn away afterwards are indeed
transgressors. (82)
Do they seek a religion other than Gods, when
every soul in the heavens and the earth has
submitted to Him, willingly or by compulsion,
and to Him they shall all return? (83)
Say: We believe in God and in that which has
been bestowed from on high upon us, and that
which has been bestowed on Abraham, Ishmael,
Isaac, Jacob and their descendants, and that
which has been vouchsafed by their Lord to
Moses and Jesus and all the prophets. We make
no distinction between them. To Him do we
surrender ourselves. (84)
He who seeks a religion other than self-surrender
to God, it will not be accepted from him, and in
the life to come he will be among the lost. (85)
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92
How shall God guide people who have lapsed
into disbelief after having accepted the faith and
having borne witness that this messenger is true,
and after having received clear evidence of the
truth? God does not guide the wrongdoers. (86)
Of such people the punishment shall be the curse
of God, the angels and all men. (87)
Under it they shall abide. Neither their suffering
shall be lightened, nor shall they be granted respite.
(88)
Excepted shall be those who afterwards repent
and mend their ways; for God is Much-
Forgiving, Merciful. (89)
But those who return to disbelief after having
accepted the faith and then grow more stubborn in
their rejection of the faith, their repentance will not
be accepted. For they are those who have truly
gone astray. (90)
As for those who disbelieve and die unbelievers,
not even the earth full of gold shall be accepted
from any one of them, were he to offer it in
ransom. They shall have grievous suffering and
they shall have none to help them. (91)
You will never attain to true piety unless you
spend on others out of what you dearly cherish.
God has full knowledge of what you spend. (92)
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93
Overview
This part of the srah, from verse 65 to verse 92, takes up the same general theme
of the controversy surrounding religious beliefs between the people of earlier
revelations, i.e. the Jews and Christians, and the Muslims. It explores the relentless
and devious efforts lined up against Islam; the scheming, smears, slandering,
vilification, lies and devilish intrigues of its opponents. It presents the Qurns
argument on behalf of the Muslims and reassures them of the truth of their cause and
exposes the deviation and hopelessness of their detractors. It openly and closely
probes the habits, ethics, intentions and activities of those enemies in order to make
the Muslims fully aware of the threat they pose and to take away the mantle of
knowledge and wisdom those enemies had assumed. It moves to dissipate any trust
some gullible Muslims may have placed in them. It discourages following their
example, and eliminates the dangers of their intrigue by exposing it so that no one
may be deceived or misled by it.
This section begins with castigating Jewish and Christian claims of affinity to the
Prophet Abraham, who pre-dated both the Torah and the Gospel. Each had
professed him to be a follower of their respective religious beliefs. Their arguments
are dismissed as totally baseless. Abraham, the srah asserts, was a devotee to Gods
true religion based on submission to God, i.e. Islam, and his natural patrons are those
who adhere to that same religion. God shall be the Guardian of all true believers.
Thus, the assertions of both Jews and Christians are refuted and a continuous line
emerges linking all prophets and messengers of God throughout the ages. The srah
states: The people who have the best claim to Abraham are those who followed him, and this
Prophet, and those who are true believers. God is the Guardian of the believers. (Verse 68)
The srah then goes on to expose the real, undeclared objective of the controversies
stirred up by the Jews and Christians regarding Abraham as also other issues. Their
aim had always been to mislead and distract the Muslims, and to sow doubts in their
hearts about Islam. Here the Qurn lashes out against such detractors: People of
earlier revelations! Why do you disbelieve in Gods revelations when you yourselves bear
witness [to their truth!? People of earlier revelations! Why do you cloak the truth with
falsehood, and knowingly conceal the truth? (Verses 70-1)
The srah then reveals aspects and manifestations of that evil intrigue. The culprits
/ '=
l Ìmrn (The House of Ìmrn) | THE HEIRS OF ABRAHAMS FAITH
94
declare adherence to Islam in the morning but reject it before the day is out in order
to feed uncertainty and suspicion in the hearts of weaker Muslims who are found
among all communities. Surely, there must be a valid reason why Jewish and
Christian individuals, whose people had a much longer association with, and
experience of, prophets and Divine revelations, rejected Islam. The srah says: A
party of the people of earlier revelations say [to one another]: Declare at the beginning of the
day, that you believe in what has been revealed to the believers, and then deny it at the end of
the day, so that they may go back on their faith. (Verse 72) How vile and malicious their
actions are.
The nature of some Jews and Christians is then further examined, together with
their ethical standards and their commitment to agreements and covenants. There is
no doubting the honesty and integrity of many of them, but some are not to be
trusted or relied on to honour an agreement or respect a pledge. These find religious
justification for their greed and deceit, but their religions are not to be blamed for
such behaviour. The srah says: Among the people of earlier revelations there is many a
one who, if you trust him with a treasure, will return it to you intact; and there is among
them many a one who, if you trust him with a small gold coin, will not return it to you,
unless you keep standing over him. For they say: We have no obligation to keep faith with
Gentiles. Thus, they deliberately say of God what they know to be a lie. (Verse 75)
At this point the srah outlines an aspect of Islams ethical outlook, its basis and
direct link to fear of God Almighty, saying: Indeed those who fulfil their pledges and
guard themselves against evil [enjoy Gods love]; for God loves the righteous. Those who
barter away their covenant with God and their oaths for a trifling gain will have no share in
the life to come. God will neither speak to them, nor cast a look on them on the Day of
Resurrection, nor will He cleanse them of their sins. Theirs will be a grievous suffering.
(Verses 76-7)
The srah then gives another instance whereby some Jews and Christians resort to
devious behaviour and lies about Islam in order to score short-term gains. It says:
There are some among them who twist their tongues when quoting the Scriptures, so that
you may think that [what they say] is from the Scriptures, when it is not from the Scriptures.
They say: It is from God, when it is not from God. Thus, they deliberately say of God what
they know to be a lie. (Verse 78)
This is a reference to Christian attempts to show that the Qurn supported their
belief in the Divinity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. However, God denounces such
notions and refutes the claims that Jesus ever made such assertions. It says: It is not
conceivable that any human being to whom God has given revelation and wisdom and
prophethood would subsequently say to people: Worship me instead of God. But rather: Be
devoted servants of God, by virtue of spreading the knowledge of the Scriptures and your
constant study of them. Nor would he bid you to take the angels and the Prophets as your
95
gods. Would he bid you to be unbelievers after you have surrendered yourselves to God?
(Verses 79-80)
It then turns to mention the essence of Gods covenant with successive messengers
whereby they endorse and support one another. It says: God made a covenant with the
Prophets: If after what I have vouchsafed to you of the Scriptures and wisdom, there comes to
you a messenger confirming the truth of what you have in your possession, you shall believe
in him and you shall help him. Do you, said He, affirm this and accept the obligation I lay
upon you in these terms? They answered: We do affirm it. said He: Then bear witness, and
I am also a witness with you. (Verse 81) Hence the obligation upon the people of
earlier revelations to believe in the last and final Prophet and to champion his cause.
Alas, they did not respect Gods covenant or the covenants they made with their own
prophets.
With that on-going covenant in the background, the srah asserts that anyone
seeking a religion other than Islam, or complete surrender to God, would be breaking
away from the whole grand and universal order God has ordained for all creation. It
says: Do they seek a religion other than Gods, when every soul in the heavens and the earth
has submitted to Him, willingly or by compulsion, and to Him they shall all return? (Verse
83) Those who choose not to surrender totally to God or humbly and freely comply
with His order of life, appear abnormal and out of place in this majestic world
design.
At this point, the srah turns to direct the Prophet Muammad and the Muslims to
declare their unshakeable faith in the One God, as set out in what was revealed to all
prophets, as the only religious belief sanctioned by God Almighty. It says: He who
seeks a religion other than self-surrender to God, it will not be accepted from him, and in the
life to come he will be among the lost. (Verse 85)
Those who reject Gods religion, however, have no prospect of either being guided
by God or being spared His punishment unless they heed and repent. As for those
who leave this world without believing in God, nothing they may have done will
save them, even if they were to give the earths weight in gold.
The srah goes on to urge the Muslims to give those possessions closest to their
hearts to good causes, as an investment with God to be collected in the hereafter. It
says: You will never attain to true piety unless you spend on others out of what you dearly
cherish. God has full knowledge of what you spend. (Verse 92)
Thus, in one relatively short passage, this srah packs an impressive and
important host of issues, facts and directives. It covers a mere round in the wider
confrontation which the srah as a whole addresses. It is the confrontation between
the Muslim community and its opponents, which has been going on for centuries
and which continues to rage on today. It bears the same ends and objectives, despite
96
the different forms it takes and the variety of means or methods it employs today. It
is the same endless controversy.
We now turn to look at the text more closely.
A Dispute Over Abrahams Faith
People of earlier revelations! Why do you argue about Abraham when both the Torah
and the Gospel were not revealed till after him? Have you no sense? You have indeed
argued about that of which you have some knowledge; why then do you argue about
that of which you have no knowledge at all? God knows, whereas you do not know.
Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian; but he was wholly devoted to God, having
surrendered himself to Him. He was not of those who associate partners with God. The
people who have the best claim to Abraham are those who followed him, and this
Prophet and those who are true believers. God is the Guardian of the believers.
(Verses 65-8)
Muammad ibn Isq relates a report attributed to Ibn Àbbs, the Prophets
cousin, which says: A number of Christians from Najrn and a number of Jewish
rabbis met at the Prophets place and disputed among themselves. The rabbis
claimed that Abraham was nothing but a Jew, while the Christians maintained that
Abraham was a Christian. God then revealed this verse starting with: People of earlier
revelations! Why do you argue about Abraham...
Whether it was true or not that that particular occasion was the time when this
verse was revealed, it is apparent that this verse is meant to be an answer to the
claims of people who professed to believe in earlier revelations. There seem to have
been arguments either with the Prophet (peace be upon him) or arguments among
themselves in the presence of the Prophet. The ultimate aim of these claims was to
monopolise Gods covenant with Abraham which meant that prophethood would
remain in Abrahams seed, and to monopolise honour and Divine guidance. More
importantly, they sought through these claims to reject the Prophets statement that
he followed the faith of Abraham and that the Muslims were the rightful heirs of the
original pure faith. The disputants also hoped to raise doubts concerning this fact in
the minds of at least some Muslims.
It is for this reason that God condemns their attitude here so strongly and shows
clearly that their arguments are without basis. Abraham lived long before the
revelation of the Torah or the Gospel; how could he, then, be a Jew or a Christian? It
is a totally illogical claim which collapses at the first glance at history: People of
earlier revelations! Why do you argue about Abraham when both the Torah and the Gospel
were not revealed till after him? Have you no sense? (Verse 65)
97
They are further condemned in the verse that follows. All their arguments are
shown to be without foundation. They appear to indulge in an endless dispute
without providing supporting evidence, consistency or logic: You have indeed argued
about that of which you have some knowledge; why then do you argue about that of which you
have no knowledge at all? God knows, whereas you do not know.
They argued about Jesus, and they argued about certain Divine legislation when
they were called upon to submit to the rulings included in Gods Book. Instead, they
turned their backs on it. In these matters, they had some knowledge. They could not,
however, claim any basis, even technical, for their arguments about things which
took place before the revelation of their Scriptures and the preaching of their
religions. They argue, then, for arguments sake. It is a worthless argument which is
advanced for vested interests and which follows no logical method. A person who
advances such an argument cannot be trusted at all. He is, indeed, not worth
listening to.
When the srah has shown the worthlessness of their argument, it states the truth
known to God. He alone knows the truth of that distant period in history and the
true nature of the faith He revealed to His servant, Abraham. When God states
something, His word is final. No one can say anything which differs with Gods
statement, unless he wishes to make a worthless, futile argument. Abraham was
neither a Jew nor a Christian; but he was wholly devoted to God, having surrendered himself
to Him. He was not of those who associate partners with God. (Verse 67) Here, we have a
clear statement of what has already been implied, that Abraham was neither a Jew
nor a Christian, since both the Torah and the Gospel were revealed after his time. It is
further stated that Abraham had no interest whatsoever in any creed or doctrine
other than complete devotion to God. He was a Muslim in the broad sense of Islam,
meaning total surrender to God.
He was not of those who associate partners with God. This is again implied in the
preceding statement that Abraham was wholly devoted to God, having surrendered
himself to Him. That it is re-emphasised here is significant because it indicates first
that both the Jews and the Christians, who had over the years come to accept deviant
beliefs, were in effect associating partners with God. Hence, Abraham could neither
be a Jew nor a Christian, but an upright man who surrendered himself to God. It
further indicates that Islam and polytheism are two diametrically opposed doctrines.
Islam means the absolute oneness of God with everything that this oneness entails.
Hence, it can have no common ground with any form of polytheism. Moreover, it
shows that the claim of the Quraysh idolaters that they followed Abrahams religion
since they were the custodians of the Ka`bah, the House he built for worship in
Makkah, is also false. Abraham believed in God alone and surrendered himself to
Him, while those people of the Quraysh were idolaters: He was not of those who
98
associate partners with God.
In view of the truth stated in the Qurn about Abraham, neither the Jews, nor the
Christians, nor indeed the idolaters could lay any claim to his heritage or to his
religion since they had all moved far away from his faith. It is faith which is, indeed,
the paramount relation which groups people together, according to Islam. If that
relationship which unites the people of faith is lacking, no other tie of blood, lineage,
race or land is of any value. In the Islamic view, man achieves his humanity through
his spirit, the blow which has made out of him a man. Hence, faith, which is the most
essential quality of his spirit, forms the basis which unites human beings together. It
is only animals that are grouped together on the basis of land, species, food, pasture,
boundaries and fences. Patronage between individuals, communities and
generations can only be based on faith. It is faith which unites one believer with
another, one Muslim community with another, and one generation of believers who
surrender themselves to God and all other generations, bypassing the limitations of
time and place, blood and lineage, race and nationality. They are all united by their
belief in God Who is the Guardian of all the believers: The people who have the best
claim to Abraham are those who followed him, and this Prophet and those who are true
believers. God is the Guardian of the believers. (Verse 68)
Those who followed Abraham when he was alive and implemented his method
and abided by his teachings had the best claim to him. The same applies to this
Prophet who shared with Abraham the quality of surrendering himself to God,
according to the testimony of God Himself, the best of all witnesses. Then come those
who believe in this Prophet and, thereby, follow Abrahams method and practice.
God is the Guardian of the believers. They are His party, sheltered by His cover,
devoting their loyalty totally to Him, to the exclusion of everyone else. They are one
family and one nation, the unity of which transcends all barriers of time, place,
country, nationality, race and lineage.
This is the noblest form of social unity which alone is worthy of man. Moreover, it
is the only method to establish a community free of all artificial restrictions. The only
bond which brings people together in this form is a voluntary one. Every individual
can release himself of it by his own choice. That bond is a faith which he personally
chooses.
On the other hand, a person cannot change his race if his society is based on race.
Neither can he change his community or colour, nor can he easily change his
language or caste if any of these is the basis upon which his society is set up. Such
barriers will always be divisive, keeping people apart, unless they take up the bond
of ideology and faith as their uniting bond. Such a bond relies on personal
conviction. Every individual can consciously choose it and join the community on its
99
basis without having to change his race, colour, language or caste. This is, indeed, an
honour given to man because it makes its uniting bond based on the noblest of his
qualities.
The choice before humanity is either to live as Islam wishes: human beings united
by what nourishes their spirits and refines their feelings, or to live like cattle,
confined within the boundaries of race, colour and place. We have to remember here
that all these are similar to the distinctive marks given to cattle so that they remain
identifiable.
A Deliberate Attempt to Conceal the Truth
A party of the people of earlier revelations would love to lead you astray; but they lead
astray none but themselves, although they may not perceive it. People of earlier
revelations! Why do you disbelieve in Gods revelations when you yourselves bear
witness [to their truth]? People of earlier revelations! Why do you cloak the truth with
falsehood, and knowingly conceal the truth? A party of the people of earlier revelations
say [to one another]: Declare at the beginning of the day, that you believe in what has
been revealed to the believers, and then deny it at the end of the day, so that they may
go back on their faith. But do not really trust anyone except those who follow your
own faith Say: All true guidance is Gods guidance That anyone may be given
the like of what you have been given. Or that they should contend against you before
your Lord Say: Grace is in Gods hand: He bestows it on whom He wills. God is
Munificent and All- Knowing. He singles out for His mercy whom He wills. And
Gods grace is great indeed. (Verses 69-74)
In this passage, the Muslim community is told of the intentions of the people of
earlier revelations behind every argument they may raise. The Qurn confronts
those people with what they actually plot and scheme in close proximity to the
Muslim community. Their masks are torn from them and their reality is made
apparent to all.
The grudge which the people of earlier revelations bear to the Muslim community
relates to the faith of that community. They hate that the Muslims should have
Divine guidance. They hate to see them holding to their own faith with firmness and
reassurance. They, therefore, mobilise all their efforts to cause the Muslims to go
astray: A party of the people of earlier revelations would love to lead you astray. It is, then,
an inner desire which lies behind all their plotting, scheming, arguments and
concealment of the truth. There is no doubt that such a desire, motivated by
prejudice and grudge, is deviant. An evil desire cannot be based on any right
guidance. Hence, the moment they entertain a desire to turn the Muslims away from
their faith, they cause themselves to go astray. It is only a person who finds himself
100
lost in a labyrinth of deviation that loves to lead astray those who are following a
straight path: But they lead astray none but themselves, although they may not perceive
it. (Verse 69)
The Muslims will come to no harm from what their enemies may scheme against
them as long as they maintain and implement their faith. God guarantees them that
the scheming and plotting of their enemies will be counter-productive as long as the
Muslims hold on to their faith.
The people of earlier revelations are then made to face the reality of their
untenable situation: People of earlier revelations! Why do you disbelieve in Gods
revelations when you yourselves bear witness [to their truth!? People of earlier revelations!
Why do you cloak the truth with falsehood, and knowingly conceal the truth? (Verses 70-1)
Those people who had received earlier revelations were at that time, and still are,
able to recognise the truth clearly embodied in this religion. This applies to those
who know the references contained in their own Scriptures about this religion. Some
of them were candid about what they read, so much so that a number of them
embraced Islam on this basis. It also applies to those who are not so aware of these
references but who are nonetheless able to recognise the clear truth of Islam which is
sufficient to persuade them to accept it. Both groups, however, continue to reject the
truth of Islam, not because of any lack of evidence and proof, but because of personal
prejudices and vested interests. The Qurn addresses them as people of earlier
revelations, because it is this very quality which should have prompted them to
hearken to Gods new revelations and follow His new Book.
They are addressed again in order to unmask their efforts at confounding truth
with falsehood, deliberately and knowingly. This is an action which merits
uncompromising censure.
This attitude of the people of earlier revelations so condemned by God is the one
which they have adopted since the time of the Prophet until the present day. The
Jews began by adopting it at the very first moment, and they were followed later by
the Christian Crusaders.
Over the centuries, they have unfortunately been able to plant in Islamic heritage
that which has nothing to do with this religion of Islam and which cannot be
discovered without Herculean efforts. They have managed to confound truth with
falsehood in much of our heritage, with the exception, however, of this Book which
God has undertaken to preserve intact for the rest of time. Praise be to God for His
limitless grace.
They have distorted much of Islamic history and its events as well as the images of
its best men of action. They have also put their alien plants in the field of the adth
until God has enabled the great scholars of adth to verify and sift out the true from
101
the false, as much as is humanly possible. Their distortions have also crept into
commentaries on the Qurn to the extent that it has become very difficult for a
student of the Qurn to find his clear way to a correct understanding. They have
also implanted their own men, hundreds if not thousands, to distort our Islamic
heritage. Some of these are with us even today in the shape of Orientalists and their
disciples who occupy positions of intellectual leadership in the countries whose
peoples claim to be Muslim. They have also implanted in our societies scores of
people who are given the status of heroes when they have actually been carefully
brought up by Zionism and Christian fanaticism in order to serve the enemies of
Islam in a way which cannot be achieved by any open enemy.
Such evil schemes continue to be pursued with no sign of weakening. The only
way to guard against them and to be spared their damaging effects is to hold tight to
Gods Book which He Himself has undertaken to preserve, and to refer to it for
guidance and for plotting our strategy in this ever-continuing battle. A reference is
then made to some of the attempts undertaken by a party of the people of earlier
revelations to cause internal confusion within the Muslim community and to turn
them away from Divine guidance: A party of the people of earlier revelations say [to one
another]: Declare, at the beginning of the day, that you believe in what has been revealed to
the believers, and then deny it at the end of the day, so that they may go back on their faith.
(Verse 72)
As we have said, this is an act of wicked deception. When such people pretend to
accept Islam, then reject it, their action is bound to perplex those who do not have
strong faith, and those who have not fully appreciated the truth of Islam and its
nature. This was true in an even greater measure in the case of the illiterate Arabs, at
the time of the Prophet, who took it for granted that the people of earlier revelations
were more aware than themselves of the nature of religions and revelation. When
they saw such people accepting Islam one day and rejecting it the next day, they
thought that their subsequent action was the result of their coming to realise that
there was something wrong with that religion. This caused them considerable
consternation and they were uncertain what attitude to adopt.
This trick continues to be employed even today, in a variety of ways suitable to
each particular situation and adapted to the mentality of people in every generation.
A Dirty Tricks Campaign to Confuse Believers
The enemies of Islam have realised that to employ this trick in a simple form is no
longer possible. They, therefore, resort to a wide range of methods of concealment
which are no more than variations on the old theme.
These forces rely today on a large army of disciples all over the Muslim world.
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Among these are professors, lecturers, thinkers and scholars, as well as writers,
poets, artists and journalists who all have Muslim names because they come from
Muslim families. Some of them indeed are included in the ranks of Islamic
scholars.
This army of disciples is mobilised for the achievement of the ultimate goal of
shaking the foundations of faith within the Muslim community. It employs all
methods of scientific research, literary works, art and information. All these
complement one another in the onslaught on Islamic faith and Islamic law. They
belittle the role of Islamic faith, interpret it in their own way, and overburden it with
what is alien to it. They never tire of branding Islam as reactionary and calling on
people to break away from it. They try hard to keep Islam away from human life
either because they fear the effect of human life on Islam or because they fear the
effect of Islam on human life. They work hard to invent concepts, ideals, values and
standards which are in direct conflict with those of the Islamic faith, painting the
former in the most appealing of pictures while distorting the latter so that they
appear in the most grotesque of forms. Moreover, they try to facilitate the breaking
loose of carnal desires, seeking to erode the moral basis upon which clean faith is
founded. What is more, they distort history in the same way as they distort
Scriptures.
To compound their evil, they claim to be Muslims. They, after all, have Muslim
names. With these names they declare to be believers at the beginning of the day.
With their evil designs they deny the faith at the end of the day. In both their actions,
they play the same role as the people of earlier revelations. All that has changed is
the framework.
The people of earlier revelations used to encourage one another to pretend to be
Muslims one day and to reject Islam the next, so that the Muslims would go back on
their faith. They also counselled each other to keep this secret between themselves,
not to reveal it to anyone except the followers of their own religion: But do not really
trust anyone except those who follow your own faith. (Verse 73) Their secret was closely
guarded against the Muslims. The same applies today to the servants of Zionism and
Christian fanaticism. They are all working together for a definite objective, that is, the
total destruction of the Islamic faith. They may not have sat together to sign a
contract or to draw up a plot defining their respective roles, but they, nevertheless,
have the sort of understanding which normally exists between stooges who work for
the same goal defined by their common master. They trust each other and compare
notes. They, or some of them at least, subsequently adopt false pretences. Everything
around them is placed in their service and those who are aware of the nature of this
faith all over the world are suffering persecution and imprisonment. But do not really
trust anyone except those who follow your own faith.
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At this point, God directs the Prophet to declare that true guidance is that
provided by God, and that unless people accept and abide by it they will never find
real guidance by any other method or way of life: Say: All true guidance is Gods
guidance. This statement is given in answer to their encouragement to one another
to declare at the beginning of the day, that you believe in what has been revealed to the
believers, and then deny it at the end of the day, so that they may go back on their faith. This
serves as a warning to the Muslims and helps them to foil the evil goal of their
enemies. Since there is no true guidance except that provided by God, then those
schemers only want the believers to sink back into deviation and total disbelief. It
should be mentioned here that this instruction to the Prophet to declare that true
guidance is that provided by God, is given even before the statements of people of
earlier revelations are quoted in full. The srah then goes on quoting them: That
anyone may be given the like of what you have been given. Or that they should contend
against you before your Lord (Verse 73) These are the reasons they give for stating
earlier: Do not really trust anyone except those who follow your own faith. This betrays
their grudge, envy and hatred of the idea that God should give prophethood and
revelation to anyone other than them. It also betrays their fear that should the
Muslims come to know the truth they themselves know, despite their denials, they
will take it as an argument against them before God. They say this as if God does not
take against them anything other than verbal statements. The fact is that such
thoughts cannot be entertained by anyone who has a sound concept of God and His
attributes, or who has a correct knowledge of the true nature of Divine messages and
prophethood, or the duties required by faith.
God directs His Messenger to teach them and the Muslim community the nature
of Gods grace when He wills to favour any nation with a messenger and a message:
Say: Grace is in Gods hand: He bestows it on whom He wills. God is Munificent and All-
Knowing. He singles out for His mercy whom He wills. And Gods grace is great indeed.
(Verses 73-4)
He has willed to give His message and revelation to a nation other than that which
received His earlier revelations. He has chosen to do so after they violated their
covenant with Him, breached the pledges of their father, Abraham, knowingly
confounded the truth with falsehood, betrayed the trust He has placed in them,
abandoned the rulings of their Book and the laws of their religion and showed their
unwillingness to refer their disputes to Gods revelations for arbitration. What this
meant in practice was that human life was no longer following Gods constitution
and its leadership was no longer in the hands of believers. Hence, He has given the
leadership to the Muslim nation in which He placed His trust as an act of infinite
honour and grace from Him: God is Munificent and All-Knowing. He singles out for His
mercy whom He wills. This He does on the basis of His knowledge of where His
mercy should be placed and on the basis that when He bestows His grace, there is no
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limit to what He gives. Gods grace is great indeed. There is no grace greater than His
guidance provided to any nation in the shape of a Book, or His limitless bounty
given in the shape of a message, or His great mercy bestowed in the form of a
messenger.
When the Muslims listen to this they realise what great favour God has given
them when He has chosen them to carry His message, and they will hold tight to it,
defend it with all the power available to them, and try to foil the schemes of their
enemies. We see here an aspect of how the Qurn was educating the first Muslim
community. It remains the Qurnic method of educating the Muslim community in
every generation.
A Transaction Ending in Ruin
Among the people of earlier revelations there is many a one who, if you trust him with
a treasure, will return it to you intact; and there is among them many a one who, if
you trust him with a small gold coin, will not return it to you, unless you keep
standing over him. For they say: We have no obligation to keep faith with Gentiles.
Thus they deliberately say of God what they know to be a lie. Indeed those who fulfil
their pledges and guard themselves against evil [enjoy Gods love]; for God loves the
righteous. Those who barter away their covenant with God and their oaths for a
trifling gain will have no share in the life to come. God will neither speak to them, nor
cast a look on them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He cleanse them of their sins.
Theirs will be a grievous suffering. (Verses 75-7)
In these verses, the Qurn describes the people of earlier revelations as they are,
identifying the points of weakness in their characters. It also states the correct values
of the Islamic faith. It begins by describing two types of people and their behaviour
in commercial and social transactions. We note here that the Qurn maintains a high
standard of fairness, stating the facts and denying no one his due credit, despite the
fact that those people of earlier revelations were in conflict with the Muslim
community. It seems that the same is true of those people in all generations.
Nevertheless, their hostility towards, their plotting and scheming against and their
attempts to undermine Islam and the Muslims, are not cause for the Qurn to deny
the good ones among them their due credit. Here we note the Qurnic statement
that among the people of earlier revelations, there are trustworthy individuals who
will not usurp anyone his right, even under the greatest of temptations: Among the
people of earlier revelations there is many a one who, if you trust him with a treasure, will
return it to you intact. (Verse 75)
Others among them, however, are too greedy and have no respect for the rights of
others. They do not return something which rightfully belongs to another person, no
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matter how small, unless they are faced with continuous and insistent demands.
They try to justify this contemptible habit by knowingly and deliberately telling lies
about God: And there is among them many a one who, if you trust him with a small gold
coin, will not return it to you, unless you keep standing over him. For they say: We have no
obligation to keep faith with Gentiles. Thus they deliberately say of God what they know to be
a lie. (Verse 75)
This particular characteristic is typical of the Jews. It is they who make this
statement and have, in moral and social dealings, double standards. When there is a
transaction between one Jew and another, they are honest and trustworthy. When
they deal with non-Jews, cheating, false pretences, deception and swindling become
admissible practices which stir no conscience and cause no twinge of remorse. We
note here that the Qurn quotes them as saying, We have no obligation to keep faith
with Gentiles. The Arabic term used in the Qurnic text for the word Gentiles
means the illiterate or unlettered people. This was a reference to the Arabs, since
the Arabs at that time were largely an illiterate nation. In fact, that was the term they
employed to denote all non-Jews.
What is worse, they allege that they are instructed to do so by their God and their
religion. However, they know this to be false. They know that God does not approve
of any falsehood or any evil manner. He does not allow any community of people to
usurp the property of others by fraud and deceit, or to betray their trust or indeed to
deal with them unfairly. The Jews, however, have made their hatred to the rest of
mankind an essential characteristic of theirs, and indeed part of their religion: They
deliberately say of God what they know to be a lie.
At this point, the Qurn states its universal rule of morality, in essence its
universal moral standard. Moreover, it relates this to the basic requirement of being
conscious of God and fearing Him: Indeed those who fulfil their pledges and guard
themselves against evil [enjoy Gods love]; for God loves the righteous. Those who barter away
their covenant with God and their oaths for a trifling gain will have no share in the life to
come. God will neither speak to them, nor cast a look on them on the Day of Resurrection, nor
will He cleanse them of their sins. Theirs will be a grievous suffering. (Verses 76-7)
What we have here is a single rule applicable to all. Anyone who observes this
rule by fulfilling his pledges and guarding himself against evil will earn himself
Gods love and honour. Anyone who takes a paltry price in exchange for his
covenant with God and his oaths needless to say, any worldly gain or, indeed, this
whole world is nothing but a paltry price and a trifling gain will have no share
whatsoever in the life to come. He will be rejected by God and he will not be purified
by Him. The only wages he gains himself are simply a grievous suffering.
We note here that the fulfilment of ones pledges relates to fear of God. Hence,
there can be no double standards, one for friends and another for enemies. Pledges
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are not viewed from the point of view of self-interest. Their fulfilment is a matter
which relates to dealing with God: the identity of the other party to whom a pledge is
given is of little significance.
This explains the general Islamic theory of morality which is applicable to the
fulfilment of pledges and to other moral considerations. We deal in the first place
with God, and we are, therefore, keen to please Him and to avoid His anger. Hence,
our moral incentive is not our self-interest. Nor is it the tradition of the community,
nor its particular circumstance. A community may go astray and it may have false
standards. It is important, therefore, to have a constant standard which is applicable
to both the community and the individual. In addition, this standard must derive its
strength from a higher source which is universally valued as taking priority over
what people may decide for themselves or what their changing circumstances may
require of them. In other words, values and standards must be derived from God.
We must try to determine what moral practices and values are acceptable to Him and
implement these in the hope that we earn His pleasure and remain righteous. It is in
this way that Islam nurtures mans aspiration to a more sublime horizon.
Those who betray their trust and do not honour their pledges are indeed people
who barter away their covenant with God and their oaths for a trifling gain. In matters of
pledges and trust the relationship is between man and God in the first place although
the pledges are made to other people. For this reason, people who do not honour
their agreements have no share with God in the life to come. The betrayal of their
trust and pledges is perpetrated for only a trifling gain, for something which is
available in this life. Therefore, as punishment for their disavowal of His covenant,
and their pledge to convey His message to other people, God does not care for them.
Here, the Qurn employs its familiar method of drawing an image in order to
express a certain attitude. Gods neglect of such people and the fact that He
withdraws His care from them are described in terms of His not speaking to them,
looking at them or cleansing them. These are all familiar symptoms of neglect. The
Qurn chooses to make use of them in order to draw a vivid image of what happens
on the Day of Judgement. In this way, the verses have a much more profound effect
on man than a mere statement of fact.
When Men of Religion Become Corrupt
There are some among them who twist their tongues when quoting the Scriptures, so
that you may think that [what they say] is from the Scriptures, when it is not from the
Scriptures. They say: It is from God, when it is not from God. Thus, they
deliberately say of God what they know to be a lie. It is not conceivable that any
human being to whom God had given revelation and wisdom and prophethood would
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subsequently say to people: Worship me instead of God. But rather: Be devoted
servants of God, by virtue of spreading the knowledge of the Scriptures and your
constant study of them. Nor would he bid you to take the angels and the Prophets as
your gods. Would he bid you to be unbelievers after you have surrendered yourselves
to God? (Verses 78-80)
These verses speak of a certain type of people of earlier revelations, namely, the
deceivers who make use of Gods revelations in order to lead other people astray.
They twist their tongues when they read or quote it, and interpret its statements so
that they may be made to agree with certain prejudices. In return for all this, they
receive a paltry price, a trifling worldly gain. One example of such distortion and
deliberate misinterpretation relates to their invented beliefs about Jesus, son of Mary,
in order to make peoples beliefs agree with the prejudices of the Church and
political rulers.
When religious men are corrupt they allow themselves to be used as a tool for the
falsification of facts. In this manner, they take advantage of their guise as men of
religion. The example employed by the Qurn in relation to the people of earlier
revelations is well known to us today. They impose on the verses and statements of
their own revelations arbitrary interpretations and conclusions, claiming that these
represent the precise meaning intended and that, as such, they constitute Gods
message. In actual fact, however, their conclusions are in sharp conflict with the very
essence of Divine faith. They are able to achieve this contortion because the majority
of people cannot differentiate between the true essence of faith and the true meaning
of these statements on the one hand, and the fabricated conclusions they arbitrarily
impose on these same statements on the other.
We are today well aware of such people who are wrongly described as religious.
Indeed, they are religious professionals who look upon religion as a profession and
who use it in order to satisfy all sorts of prejudice. They do not hesitate to make use
of any religious text when it seems to them that by so doing they serve their own
material interests. It does not concern them that their arbitrary interpretations of
Gods revelations contradict the basic principles of faith. They try hard to detect even
the slightest hint of linguistic ambiguity in a Qurnic verse so that they can endorse
any desire, tendency or prejudice which serves their immediate interests: They say: It
is from God, when it is not from God. Thus, they deliberately say of God what they know to
be a lie. (Verse 78)
This sort of corruption is not exclusive to the people of earlier revelations. It is
evident in every nation where religious faith has been greatly devalued as a result of
the relentless pursuit of trifling worldly gains. It gains currency in any nation where
people are so dishonest that they do not hesitate to deliberately and knowingly tell a
lie about God and distort His words in order to win favours and satisfy their own
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perverted desires. Here God warns the Muslim community against falling into this
slippery way; a path on which the Children of Israel fell and which led them to be
deprived of what they had been entrusted with, namely the leadership of mankind.
Taken together, these verses suggest that this element of the Children of Israel
deliberately misquoted Gods revelations which express their intent in a figurative
way and instead attributed arbitrary interpretations to them. In so doing, they
deluded the masses into believing that the conclusions they stated were taken from
the Divine Book. They, who subsequently became the Christians we know today,
indeed say that It is from God, when God has said nothing of the sort. Their aim
was to prove the Divine nature of Jesus and to attribute the same to the Holy
Spirit. They alleged that there are three elements, namely, the father, the son and the
Holy Spirit, constituting the trinity which is God. Limitless is God in His glory, far be
it for Him to be as they falsely describe.
They also attributed certain statements to Jesus confirming their allegations. God
here refutes their false interpretations. He states that it is not possible for a prophet
whom God has honoured with prophethood and chosen for such a great task to
order people to make him or the angels as gods. It is not conceivable that any human
being to whom God had given revelations and wisdom and prophethood would subsequently
say to people: Worship me instead of God. But rather: Be devoted servants of God, by virtue
of spreading the knowledge of the Scriptures and your constant study of them. Nor would he
bid you to take the angels and the Prophets as your gods. Would he bid you to be unbelievers
after you have surrendered yourselves to God? (Verses 79-80)
A prophet knows that he is a servant of God, and that God alone is the only Lord
to whom people should address their worship. It is not conceivable for a prophet to
claim for himself the quality of Godhead which requires people to surrender
themselves to him. Hence, no prophet would ever say to people: Worship me instead
of God. What he will always say to them is: Be devoted servants of God. Declare your
allegiance to God as servants who surrender themselves to Him. Address your
worship to Him alone and adopt only the way of life He has approved for you so
that you can be totally devoted to Him. You can achieve this devotion by virtue of
your knowledge of the Scriptures and your constant study of what God has revealed.
The more you understand your Scriptures, the clearer this task becomes to you.
No prophet would ever instruct people to take the angels or the prophets as lords
or gods. For no prophet would ever instruct people to be unbelievers after they have
surrendered themselves to God and acknowledged His Divinity. Prophets come to
provide guidance for men, not to lead them astray. They set the example for people
to be good believers and surrender themselves to God. It is far removed from them to
encourage people to be unbelievers.
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The impossibility of what these people of earlier revelations attribute to Jesus is
thus made apparent. Equally apparent is their deliberate lie when they allege that
this is from God. At the same time, all what these people allege in order to create
doubts and suspicions within the Muslim community are shown to be baseless once
the Qurn has revealed the true nature of these lies and the people who spread
them.
Today there are still people who purport to be Muslims and who claim to be well
read in Islam but who do the same thing as those people of earlier revelations. These
Qurnic verses, then, are equally applicable to them. For they try to distort Qurnic
statements and impose arbitrary interpretations on them in order to create all sorts of
idols to be worshipped instead of God. They make use of every connivance in order
to make their allegations plausible: They say: It is from God, when it is not from God.
Thus, they deliberately say of God what they know to be a lie.
A Pledge Binding on All Prophets
God made a covenant with the Prophets: If after what I have vouchsafed to you of the
Scriptures and wisdom, there comes to you a messenger confirming the truth of what
you have in your possession, you shall believe in him and you shall help him. Do you,
said He, affirm this and accept the obligation I lay upon you in these terms? They
answered: We do affirm it. Said He: Then bear witness, and I am also a witness
with you. Then those who turn away afterwards are indeed transgressors. Do they
seek a religion other than Gods, when every soul in the heavens and the earth has
submitted to Him, willingly or by compulsion, and to Him they shall all return?
(Verses 81-3)
This passage explains the link between all the messengers and messages. It is
based on the covenant made with God which judges as a transgressor anyone who
declines to follow the last of the Divine messages. It shows that such a person would
be guilty of violating his covenant with God and of disobeying the law which applies
to the whole universe. God, limitless He is in His glory, has made a binding and
solemn covenant with every prophet He sent. He Himself witnessed this covenant as
did His prophets. The covenant states that if a prophet is followed by a messenger
who confirms his own message, he is required to declare his belief in this messenger,
give him his support and follow his religion, no matter what he himself has been
given of Scriptures and wisdom. God has made this binding agreement with every
prophet and messenger He has sent.
The Qurnic presentation overlooks the time intervals which separated Gods
messengers, but instead groups them all in one scene with God, in His majesty,
addressing them all at the same time. He asks whether they acknowledge this
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covenant and accept the obligation it places on them: Do you affirm this and accept the
obligation I lay upon you in these terms? They answered: We do affirm it. (Verse 81)
God, the Sublime, witnesses this covenant and asks them to witness it as well: He
said: Then bear witness, and I am also a witness with you. (Verse 81)
As we replay this majestic scene in our minds, we are overawed with the image of
all messengers assembled in the presence of God.
United in their submission to the sublime directive, they uphold the single truth,
which God has willed should serve as the foundation of human life and remain pure
of deviation, contradiction and conflict. God selects one of His servants to establish
this truth on earth, before he passes it over to his successor, to whom he pledges his
support, as the latter takes over the task of conveying Gods message. No prophet
has any personal interest in this matter, nor does he seek any personal glory. He is
simply a servant of God, chosen by Him to convey His message. It is God Who
determines how this message is carried forward from one generation to another, and
it is He Who controls the movement of its followers as He pleases.
With this covenant, Divine religion is assured of being free from any narrow
prejudice, be it the prejudice of the messenger to himself or to his people, or the
prejudice of his followers to their own faith, interests, or to their own people. This
single faith remains, in this way, pure, as God wishes it to be.
In light of this fact, how do those among the people of earlier revelations justify
their attitude, when their religions call upon them to believe in the last messenger
and to help and support him? How do these people who reject the last messenger
appear, when their own messengers have made such a solemn and binding covenant
with their Lord in a grand, awesome scene? They appear, indeed, to be transgressors.
They have moved away from the teachings of their own Prophets, violated Gods
covenant and rebelled against this system which applies to the whole universe and
which surrenders to its Creator. Then those who turn away afterwards are indeed
transgressors. Do they seek a religion other than Gods, when every soul in the heavens and
earth has submitted to Him, willingly or by compulsion, and to Him they shall all return?
(Verses 82-3)
No one refuses to follow the last of the Prophets but a transgressor, and no one
rejects Gods faith but a deviant who stands alone in rebellion against the whole
universe, which submits to God.
Gods faith is one. All messengers preached the same faith and pledged their
covenants to dedicate themselves to it. The covenant God has made with every
messenger is the same. Hence, to believe in the new faith, to follow its messenger,
and to help implement it so that it attains supremacy over all other creeds and
methods is indeed to honour this covenant. Anyone who rejects Islam, therefore,
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rejects Gods faith as a whole, and violates his covenant with God.
Islam, or submission to God, is the constitution and religion which applies to
everything in this universe. It becomes a reality when the way of life God has chosen
for mankind is implemented to the exclusion of every other way. This is indeed a
universal version of Islam and submission. It has a profound effect on our feelings
and conscience. It speaks of an omnipotent rule which subjects all beings to the same
constitution and the same destiny.
To Him they shall all return. There is no way out, for the end is the return to God,
the Almighty, Who has created all and controls all.
If mans aim is to be happy, to enjoy peace of mind and to have a good system for
his life, then he must inevitably return to Gods constitution and implement it in his
life both as an individual and in the life of his community. This ensures that mans
life is in perfect harmony with the system followed by the universe and devised by
the Creator. Only when man achieves harmony between his own system,
encompassing his feelings, motives, relations and practices and the system of the
universe is he able to work in cooperation, rather than in conflict, with the great
powers in the universe. If he finds himself in conflict with these powers, his world is
left in tatters and he cannot fulfil the mission assigned to him by God. Conversely,
when he achieves harmony with the laws of nature which operate in the universe
and to which all living things are subject, he is able to fathom their secrets and to
make use of them in a way which ensures his own happiness and peace of mind. He
is then spared all worry, fear and conflict. When we say that man can make use of
these powers, we mean that in the case of fire, for example, he will not burn himself
by it, but will use it for cooking, heating, and lighting.
In its essence, human nature is in harmony with the laws governing the universe.
Human nature submits to its Lord like the nature of every living thing. When man
forces his own life out of the system laid down by God, he finds himself in conflict
not only with the universe, but also with his own nature. This results in misery and
worry. He suffers a great deal just as erring humanity now suffers, despite all its
scientific achievements and all the facilities provided for man by this materialistic
civilisation.
Man suffers a great deal because he finds himself in a terrible void. His soul is
devoid of the truth which it desperately needs, the truth of faith. His life is devoid of
the Divine method which achieves harmony of movement between man and the
universe in which he lives. When man leaves the cool shade provided by Gods way
of life, he finds himself in the blazing heat of the desert.
Having left the straightforward path, man suffers a worrying type of corruption.
This is indeed the reason for all the misery, worry and confusion suffered by
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humanity, and for all its hunger, thirst and deprivation. Man tries to escape from all
this by resorting to drugs and drink, fast cars and aimless adventures, inventing a
new craze every day, but to no avail. Material affluence, high levels of productivity,
an easy life and a great deal of spare time do not help reduce his misery and worry.
Indeed, the more he has of these, the greater his worry and confusion. This emptiness
continues to chase man like a fearful ghost. Man tries to run away, but he can only
run into an endless void.
The first impression formed by anyone who visits rich countries is that their
peoples are trying to escape. They want to escape even from their own souls. The
thin veil of affluence and sensuous enjoyment which is carried too far is soon lifted to
reveal all sorts of psychiatric complaints, crime, deviation, perversion, worry,
madness, alcohol and drug addiction. There is nothing worthy of respect in such a
material life.
The people of these countries cannot determine the true purpose of their lives.
They grope in the dark for that divine system which alone will ensure harmony of
movement between themselves and the universe around them, and between their
system and that of the universe. They cannot enjoy peace of mind because they do
not know God, to Whom they shall all return.
Since the Muslim nation and by this we mean the truly Muslim nation, not that
which lives in any particular geographical area or in any particular period of history
is the one which is aware of the true nature of the covenant between God and His
messengers, it knows fully the truth of the single faith God has given man through
the line of noble prophets and messengers. God instructs the Prophet to declare this
truth in absolutely clear terms. He orders him to declare that his nation believes in all
past messages, respects and honours all past messengers, and is fully aware of the
true nature of the Divine faith which is the only faith acceptable to God: Say: We
believe in God and in that which has been bestowed from on high upon us, and that which has
been bestowed on Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants, and that which has
been vouchsafed by their Lord to Moses and Jesus and all the prophets. We make no
distinction between them. To Him do we surrender ourselves. He who seeks a religion other
than self-surrender to God, it will not be accepted from him, and in the life to come he will be
among the lost. (Verses 84-5)
This is the reality of Islam: it encompasses all past messages, maintains loyalty to
all past messengers. It shows that the Divine faith is one, and returns all religions to
their common source. It implies believing in all these messages as a whole, as they
have all been given by God.
It is important to note here that the first of these two verses states first the belief in
God and what has been revealed to the Muslims, i.e. the Qurn, and what has been
revealed to all previous messengers. Its concluding comment on this encompassing
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belief is: To Him do we surrender ourselves. This acknowledgement of submission to
God is very significant. It comes after it has been explained that Islam means total
surrender, submission and obedience as well as the implementation of a certain
system and a well-defined law. This is absolutely clear in the preceding verse: Do
they seek a religion other than Gods, when every soul in the heavens and the earth has
submitted to Him, willingly or by compulsion, and to Him they shall all return? It is clear
that, in relation to all beings, Islam means surrender and submission, as well as
obedience to the law and implementation of the system. It is for this that God
deliberately explains the meaning of Islam and its true nature on every occasion, so
that no one can mistake it for a word said verbally, or an acceptance made mentally,
without it leaving its practical effects on life in the form of submission to Gods law
and the implementation of that law in real life: He who seeks a religion other than
Islam, it will not be accepted from him, and in the life to come he will be among the lost.
Deliberate Rejection of the Truth
How shall God guide people who have lapsed into disbelief after having accepted the
faith and having borne witness that this messenger is true, and after having received
clear evidence of the truth? God does not guide the wrongdoers. Of such people the
punishment shall be the curse of God, the angels and all men. Under it they shall
abide. Neither their suffering shall be lightened, nor shall they be granted respite.
Excepted shall be those who afterwards repent and mend their ways; for God is Much-
Forgiving, Merciful. But those who return to disbelief after having accepted the faith
and then grow more stubborn in their rejection of the faith, their repentance will not
be accepted. For they are those who have truly gone astray. As for those who disbelieve
and die unbelievers, not even the earth full of gold shall be accepted from any one of
them, were he to offer it in ransom. They shall have grievous suffering and they shall
have none to help them. You will never attain to true piety unless you spend on others
out of what you dearly cherish. God has full knowledge of what you spend. (Verses
86-92)
The preceding verses leave no doubt whatsoever about the true meaning of Islam.
In the light of these verses, it is impossible to arbitrarily interpret Qurnic statements
in order to give Islam a definition other than that given by God. Islam, the religion of
the whole universe, means submission to the system God has laid down for life.
Islam can never be confined to a verbal declaration of believing in the oneness of
God and Muammads message. Such a declaration must be followed by its practical
correlative. This means, in the context of bearing witness that there is no deity save
God; to actually believe that God alone is the only Lord of the universe to Whom
worship should be addressed and Whose pleasure is to be sought. In the case of
bearing witness that Muammad is Gods Messenger, it means to implement in full
114
the way of life he has explained to us as given him by his Lord, and to apply the laws
he has given us and to refer all disputes to the Qurn, the Book he has conveyed to
us.
As we have said, Islam can never be confined to a mere mental acceptance of the
truth of divinity and revelation, devoid of its practical effect. Nor can Islam be
limited to a set of worship practices, contemplations, or moral and spiritual
education, unless these are followed by their practical correlative represented by a
way of life derived from God. Worship, contemplation and moral education have no
practical value in peoples lives unless they are incorporated into a social system
which moulds human life in its own clean fashion, in accordance with Gods will.
Such is Islam as God wants it. No value can be attached to Islam in the version
devised by peoples desires, or coloured by the wishes and prejudices of the enemies
of Islam and their stooges everywhere.
Those who do not accept Islam in the form God wants it to take, after having
learnt its true nature will definitely be the losers in the hereafter. They will receive no
guidance from God and will not be exempt from His punishment: How shall God
guide people who have lapsed into disbelief after having accepted the faith and having borne
witness that this messenger is true, and after having received clear evidence of the truth? God
does not guide the wrongdoers. Of such people the punishment shall be the curse of God, the
angels and all men: under it they shall abide. Neither their suffering shall be lightened, nor
shall they be granted respite. (Verses 86-8)
It is a sustained campaign which strikes terror in every heart with even the
smallest measure of faith, and which views the question of the hereafter with the
minimum degree of seriousness. The punishment detailed here is fair for anyone
who has been given the chance to save himself, but who deliberately and stubbornly
turns away from the path of salvation.
Islam, nevertheless, leaves the door open for repentance. Any erring person who
wants to turn back to the right way needs only to knock on the door. Indeed, he does
not even need to knock.
There is no one and nothing to prevent him entering. He only needs to turn to the
way which ensures his security, and to do good in order to show that his repentance
is sincere and truthful:
Excepted shall be those who afterwards repent and mend their ways; for God is Much-
Forgiving, Merciful. (Verse 89) However, those who do not repent, who refuse to
turn back, who insist on remaining unbelievers and continue in their erring ways
until the chance given them is withdrawn, until the test is over, and the time for
punishment and reward arrives, cannot be saved. No repentance will be accepted
from them. It will not be of any benefit to them that they may have spent the whole
115
earths weight of gold in what they thought to be good causes. Since their spending
was not made for Gods sake and not dedicated to Him alone, it has no value with
Him. Nor will they be able to save themselves from the punishment of the hereafter
even if they were to offer the earths full weight of gold. Their chance is over and the
doors are closed: But those who return to disbelief after having accepted the faith and then
grow more stubborn in their rejection of the faith, their repentance will not be accepted. For
they are those who have truly gone astray. As for those who disbelieve and die unbelievers,
not even the earth full of gold shall be accepted from any one of them, were he to offer it in
ransom. They shall have grievous suffering and they shall have none to help them. (Verses
90-1) The discussion is thus concluded in a fearful and decisive manner, leaving no
doubt in anyones heart.
Since spending for causes other than that of God is mentioned as well as the
offering of a ransom when none may be accepted, God explains the sort of spending
which earns His pleasure: You will never attain to true piety unless you spend on others
out of what you dearly cherish. God has full knowledge of what you spend. (Verse 92) The
Muslims at the time understood this Divine directive perfectly well. They were keen
to achieve that standard of true piety, which means the culmination of everything
that is good, by offering what they cherished most dearly. They came forward with
such offerings in the hope of receiving a much greater reward in the hereafter.
Imm Ahmad relates on the authority of Anas ibn Mlik: Ab alah was one of
the richest people among the Anr in Madinah. His property, which he cherished
most dearly, was a plot of land called . It was opposite to the Prophets mosque.
The Prophet used to go there and drink of its fine spring. Anas says that when God
revealed the Qurnic verse: You will never attain to true piety unless you spend on
others out of what you dearly cherish, Ab alah said: Messenger of God, God says:
You will never attain to true piety unless you spend on others out of what you
dearly cherish. My property, which I cherish most dearly, is this piece of land. I am
offering it as a charity dedicated for Gods sake. I do this in the hope that I will be
rewarded for it by God. You, Messenger of God, may dispense with it in any way
you please. The Prophet said: Good. Good. That is an investment with high return. I
have heard what you said. I think the best course is for you to divide it among your
relatives. Ab alah said: I will do that, Messenger of God. He divided it among
his relatives and cousins. (Related by Al-Bukhr and Muslim.)
Al-Bukhr and Muslim also relate that Ùmar said: Messenger of God, I have
never acquired any property which is more valuable than my share in Khaybar. How
do you advise me to dispense with it? The Prophet said: Make the land a
permanent endowment and its produce free for all.
Many of them have followed this line in fulfilment of Gods instruction, Who has
outlined for us the way to true piety when He has guided us to Islam. In this way, we
116
attain our freedom from being enslaved by wealth and self-aggrandisement. We can
aspire to attain a more sublime level, free of all shackles, undeterred by any
impediments.
l Ìmrn (The House of Ìmrn) | ONE GOD, ONE FAITH
117
5
One God, One Faith
All food was lawful to the Children of Israel
except what Israel forbade himself, in the days
before the Torah was bestowed from on high. Say:
Bring the Torah and recite it, if what you say is
true. (93)
Those who fabricate lies about God after this are
indeed wrongdoers. (94)
Say: God speaks the truth. Follow, then, the
creed of Abraham, who turned away from all
that is false and was not one of those who
associate partners with God. (95)
The first House [of worship] ever set up for
mankind was indeed the one at Bakkah: rich in
blessing; and a source of guidance to all the
worlds, (96)
full of clear messages. It is the place whereon
Abraham once stood; and whoever enters it finds
inner peace. Pilgrimage to this House is a duty
owed to God by all people who are able to
undertake it. As for those who disbelieve, God
does not stand in need of anything in all the
worlds. (97)
Say: People of earlier revelations, why do you
disbelieve in Gods revelations, when God
Himself is witness to all that you do? (98)
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118
Say: People of earlier revelations, why do you try
to turn those who have come to believe away from
the path of God, seeking to make it appear
crooked, when you yourselves bear witness [to its
being straight]? God is not unaware of what you
do. (99)
Believers! If you pay heed to some of those who
have been given revelations, they will cause you to
renounce the truth after you have accepted the
faith. (100)
But how can you sink into disbelief when Gods
revelations are being recited to you and His
messenger is in your midst? He who holds fast to
God has already been guided along a straight
path. (101)
Believers! Fear God as you rightly should, and do
not allow death to overtake you before you have
surrendered yourselves truly to Him. (102)
Hold fast, all of you together, to the bond with
God and do not be disunited. And remember the
blessings God has bestowed on you: how, when
you were enemies [to one another] He united your
hearts and, by His grace, you have become
brothers; and how, when you were on the brink of
an abyss of fire, He saved you from it. Thus God
makes clear His revelations to you, so that you
may be rightly guided. (103)
Let there become of you a nation that invites to all
that is good, enjoin the doing of what is right and
forbid what is wrong. Such are they who shall
prosper. (104)
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119
Do not follow the example of those who became
divided and fell into conflict with one another after
clear proof had come to them. For these there will
be grievous suffering, (105)
on the day when some faces will shine with
happiness and some faces will be blackened.
Those whose faces are blackened [shall be told]:
Did you disbelieve after having embraced the
faith? Taste, then, this suffering for having sunk
into disbelief. (106)
Those with shining faces shall be in Gods grace;
they abide there for ever. (107)
These are revelations of God. We recite them to
you in truth. God wills no injustice to His
creatures. (108)
To God belongs all that is in the heavens and all
that is on earth; to Him shall all things return.
(109)
You are the best community that has ever been
raised for mankind; you enjoin the doing of what
is right and forbid what is wrong, and you believe
in God. Had the people of earlier revelations
believed, it would have been for their own good.
Few of them are believers, while most of them are
evildoers. (110)
They cannot harm you beyond causing you some
trifling hurt; and if they fight against you they will
turn their backs upon you in flight. Then they
will receive no help. (111)
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120
Ignominy shall be pitched over them wherever they
may be, save when they have a bond with God
and a bond with men. They have incurred the
wrath of God and humiliation shall overshadow
them. That is because they persisted in denying
Gods revelations and killing the Prophets against
all right. That is because they persisted in their
disobedience and transgression. (112)
They are not all alike. Of the people of earlier
revelations there are some upright people who recite
the revelations of God in the depth of the night,
and prostrate themselves in worship. (113)
They believe in God and the Last Day and
enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid what
is wrong and vie with one another in doing good
works. These belong to the righteous. (114)
Whatever good they do, they shall never be denied
its reward. God knows those who fear Him.
(115)
As for the unbelievers, neither their riches nor
their children will avail them in any way against
God. It is they who are destined for the fire, where
they will abide. (116)
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121
Overview
In this passage, verses 93 to 120, we witness the culmination of the debate with the
people of earlier revelations. Although the concepts outlined here do not form part of
Whatever they spend in this present life is like a
biting, icy wind which smites the tilth of people
who have wronged themselves, laying it to waste.
It is not God Who does them wrong; they wrong
themselves. (117)
Believers, do not take for your intimate friends
men other than your own folk. They will spare no
effort to corrupt you. They love to see you in
distress. Their hatred has already become
apparent by [what they say with] their mouths,
but what their hearts conceal is even much worse.
We have made revelations plain to you, if you will
only use your reason. (118)
See for yourselves how it is you who love them and
they do not love you. You believe in all revelations.
When they meet you they say: We, too, are
believers. But when they find themselves alone,
they bite their fingertips with rage against you.
Say: Perish in your rage. God is fully aware of
what is in the hearts [of people]. (119)
When good fortune comes your way, it grieves
them; and if evil befalls you, they rejoice. If you
persevere and fear God, their machinations cannot
harm you in any way. God encompasses all that
they do. (120)
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122
the debate with the Najrn Christian delegation, they share a common theme and,
thereby, complement and resonate with that debate. The passage addresses the Jews
in particular, countering their intrigues and scheming against the Muslims of
Madinah, and leads to a complete and total break between the two camps. Further
on, it directs its attention fully to the Muslim community, pointing out their true
identity, their way of life and their obligations, in a similar manner adopted by the
Qurn in the previous srah, al-Baqarah, or The Cow. (Volume 1, pp. 99 ff)
This section opens by the affirmation that the Israelites were permitted to eat all
types of food with the exception of what Israel (Jacob) had chosen to forbid himself
and his people from eating before the Torah was revealed to Moses. This statement
appears to come in reply to objections raised by the Israelites against the Qurn for
making permissible certain foods that have been forbidden to them. The reality is, of
course, that these were forbidden only to the Israelites as punishment for their
transgressions.
It responds to their objection to the change of the direction faced by Muslims
during prayer, the qiblah a subject fully covered in srah al-Baqarah pointing out
that the Ka`bah is the House built by Abraham as the first place of worship ever
established for mankind on earth. Since they claim to be descendants of Abraham,
their attitude seems all the more objectionable!
It goes on to condemn the people of earlier revelations for their denial of Gods
revelations, for turning people away from Gods path, their refusal to comply with
His commands, and for their propensity to deviation as a dominant feature of life
when they are well aware of the truth.
It turns to address the people of earlier revelations as a whole, as it warns the
Muslims not to comply with their false beliefs. That was all the more urgent as the
Qurn was being revealed to them and Gods Messenger, Muammad, was teaching
them and calling upon them to fear God and hold fast to Islam until they die and
meet their Lord. It reminds them of Gods grace which had kept their hearts close
together and united them under the singular banner of Islam when they were
besieged with schisms and strife. Islam took them back from the brink and prepared
them to be the nation that would uphold all that is good and prevent all that is
indecent and harmful, as part of their obligation to establish Gods order on earth.
They are warned not to succumb to the machinations of the people of earlier
revelations or to allow themselves to be divided as those people were. That would
only bring them frustration and destruction both in this life and in the life to come.
Some reports indicate that this warning refers to certain hostilities instigated by the
Jews between the two Arab tribes of Madinah, the Aws and the Khazraj.
Then God Almighty informs the Muslims regarding their rightful place in this
123
world and the reality of their role in human society. He says: You are the best
community that has ever been raised for mankind; you enjoin the doing of what is right and
forbid what is wrong, and you believe in God. (Verse 110) He draws the attention of the
Muslims to the profundity and uniqueness of their role and the true nature of their
society.
This is further reinforced by demeaning their detractors who will never
undermine their beliefs or completely prevail over them. Having to face such foes is
part of the trials and tribulations of their mission. Victory shall be theirs so long as
they hold fast to their way of life. Their enemies are condemned to disgrace and
subjugation, and have earned Gods wrath for their sins and transgressions, and for
slaying their prophets without justification. The srah makes a certain exception
concerning those particular Jews and Christians who acknowledge the truth and
profess true faith. They adopt the same way of life as the Muslims, advocating what
is right and opposing evil and working for all that is proper and decent. As for those
who reject Islam, the srah asserts that they shall receive the just rewards of their
infidelity, and neither their wealth nor their offspring shall spare them a miserable
end.
The passage closes with a warning to the Muslims not to take allies from among
those who wish them evil and who are full of hatred towards them. It points out that
the loathing they conceal within their hearts is far more intense. They rejoice when
misfortune strikes the Muslims, but are offended when they are blessed with a happy
prospect. God, the Omniscient, promises to afford the believers protection against the
intrigue of their opponents, as long as they show patience in adversity and fear God.
This extended and rich exhortation reflects the trials and tribulations the Muslims
of Madinah suffered as a result of the betrayal and duplicity of their Jewish
neighbours. It is an indication of the insidious confusion and disruption they caused
inside the Muslim camp. It also confirms the Muslims need for strong and firm
instruction in order to be able to distinguish themselves, to set themselves apart and
take a firm and resolute stand, severing all the ties that bound them to the dark days
of Ignorance.
These profound instructions endure the test of time and continue to be valid for all
Muslim generations who are required to be aware of Islams traditional age-old
enemies. Their methods and practices may change, but they remain ever the same.
The Beginning of a Long Debate
All food was lawful to the Children of Israel except what Israel forbade himself in the
days before the Torah was bestowed from on high. Say: Bring the Torah and recite it,
if what you say is true. Those who fabricate lies about God after this are indeed
124
wrongdoers. (Verses 93-4)
The Jews used every trick and argument to try to raise suspicion concerning the
truthfulness of the Prophet and his message. Their only chance to stop the tide of
Islam was to create doubts in the minds of the Muslims and to spread confusion
within the Muslim community. When the Qurn stated that it endorsed what was in
the Torah, the Jews seized the opportunity to proceed with their campaign. They
asked: How is it possible in this case that the Qurn makes lawful certain types of
food which have been forbidden to the Children of Israel? Reports suggest that they
specifically mentioned camel flesh and milk which were forbidden to the Jews. There
are, however, other types of food forbidden in Judaism which God has made lawful
to the Muslims.
The Qurn refers the Jews back to the historical fact which they chose to overlook
because that served their purpose in creating doubts about the Qurn. The fact is
that all types of food were lawful to the Children of Israel, with the exception of what
Israel forbade himself long before the revelation of the Torah. Reports suggest that
during a serious illness, Israel, or Jacob, pledged to God that if He were to restore his
health for him, he would voluntarily abstain from eating camel flesh and drinking
camel milk, his favourite food and drink. God accepted his pledge. It became a
tradition with the Children of Israel to follow in their fathers footsteps and to forbid
themselves what he had forbidden himself. Moreover, God forbade the Israelites
certain types of food in punishment for certain sins they had committed. God refers
to these types of forbidden food in verse 146 of srah 6, Al-An am, or Cattle: And to
those who followed the Jewish faith did We forbid all beasts that have claws; and we forbade
them the fat of both oxen and sheep, excepting that which is in their backs or entrails or that
which is within the bone. Thus did We punish them for their evil doing; for, We are indeed
true to Our word. Prior to this prohibition, all these types of food were lawful to the
Israelites.
God refers them to this historical fact in order to explain that these types of food
were originally lawful. They were forbidden them because of certain special
circumstances relevant to them alone. If these types of food are made lawful to the
Muslims, this only represents a return to the original status. Hence, it should raise no
objection from anyone. Nor can it be used to raise doubts about the Qurn and the
final Divine law it lays down.
The Qurn poses a challenge to the Jews to refer back to the Torah, to bring it
forward and read it. They were certain to find in it an explanation that the
prohibition was imposed on them alone. It is not a prohibition common to all people:
Say: Bring the Torah and recite it, if what you say is true. (Verse 93)
This is followed by a threat to anyone who fabricates lies about God. Such a
125
person is a wrongdoer who is unfair both to himself and to other people. He is,
indeed, unfair to truth itself. The punishment of a wrongdoer is well known. It is
sufficient, therefore, that they are described as wrongdoers to determine the type of
punishment which awaits them. They certainly fabricate lies about God, and they
certainly will return to Him.
The Jews also sought constantly to exploit the question of changing the direction
of Muslim prayer which meant that the Muslims faced the Ka`bah in prayer instead
of turning towards Jerusalem. The Prophet and his Companions faced Jerusalem in
their prayer for 16 or 17 months after the Prophets emigration to Madinah. This
topic has been discussed at length in the preceding srah. That discussion explained
that to choose the Ka`bah as the qiblah (or direction in prayer) is to opt for the most
natural and preferable alternative. When Jerusalem was chosen for a certain period,
this was done for a specific reason explained by God. The Jews, nevertheless,
continued to exploit this issue, trying to raise doubts and confusion and covering
truth with falsehood, in the same way as the enemies of Islam do today. God,
however, foils their schemes with a new explanation: Say: God speaks the truth.
Follow, then, the creed of Abraham, who turned away from all that is false and was not one of
those who associate partners with God. The first House [of worship! ever set up for mankind
was indeed the one at Bakkah: rich in blessing; and a source of guidance to all the worlds, full
of clear messages. It is the place whereon Abraham once stood; and whoever enters it finds
inner peace. Pilgrimage to this House is a duty owed to God by all people who are able to
undertake it. As for those who disbelieve, God does not stand in need of anything in all the
worlds. (Verses 95-7)
The first sentence here, Say.: God speaks the truth, refers to what has been stated
previously. The Ka`bah was built by Abraham and Ishmael so that it may be a place
of refuge and security for all people and to serve as a qiblah or focal point and a
praying place for all those who believe in Abrahams faith. Hence, the command to
follow Abrahams creed which is based on the belief in the absolute oneness of God,
associating no partners with Him in any form or shape: Follow, then, the creed of
Abraham, who turned away from all that is false and was not one of those who associate
partners with God. The Jews claimed that they were the descendants of Abraham.
Here, the Qurn tells them the true nature of Abrahams faith, namely, the belief in
the absolute Oneness of God. This is emphasised twice in succession: the first states
that Abraham turned away from all that is false, and the second asserts that he was
not one of those who associate partners with God. How can they, then, go as far as to
ascribe partners to God?
The First House for Human Worship
126
Say: God speaks the truth. Follow, then, the creed of Abraham, who turned away
from all that is false and was not one of those who associate partners with God. The
first House [of worship] ever set up for mankind was indeed the one at Bakkah: rich in
blessing, and a source of guidance to all the worlds, full of clear messages. (Verses 95-
6)
This verse explains that to face the Ka`bah is the proper choice. The Ka`bah is the
first House ever set up for the exclusive purpose of worship. God commanded
Abraham to build it and to consecrate it for worshippers who either walk round it,
spend periods of time worshipping in it and who bow and prostrate themselves
there in total submission to God. God has blessed this House and made it like a
beacon for mankind where they find guidance showing them the true faith
acceptable to God, which is indeed the creed of Abraham himself. There are indeed
clear signs in the Ka`bah which show that it is the place where Abraham stood in his
worship. Some scholars suggest that the Arabic term, Maqm Ibrhm, which is used
in this verse and rendered in our translation as the spot where Abraham stood,
refers to the ancient stone on which Abraham stood when he built the Ka`bah. It used
to be stuck to the wall of the Ka`bah, but the second Caliph, Ùmar, moved it back so
that people doing the awf (i.e. walking round the Ka`bah) did not disturb those who
prayed behind it. We are commanded by God to make that spot a place where we
pray: Establish the spot where Abraham stood as a place of worship. (Al-Baqarah 2: 125)
One of the virtues of this House is highlighted here, namely, the sense of security
it imparts to anyone who goes there. It is a refuge for anyone who is overtaken by
fear, where he can find peace and security. In this particular aspect, this place is
absolutely unique. It shares this quality with no other place on earth. It has remained
so ever since it was built by Abraham and his son Ishmael. Even in the dark ages of
Ignorance in Arabia, when the Arabs deviated far away from Abrahams faith and no
longer believed in the oneness of God, the sanctity of this House continued to be
observed. Al-asan al-Bar and other renowned scholars explain that in that period
of Ignorance, a man might commit a murder and go into the sanctuary of the House,
having put a piece of wool around his neck. He might be met there by the son of the
man he murdered but he would not be disturbed there until he had left the House.
This is part of the honour and blessings God has given to this House of His, even
when people around it lived in total ignorance. He reminds the Arabs of this great
favour He has done them: Are they not aware that We have set up a secure sanctuary
while people are snatched away all around them? (Al-Ànkabt 29: 67) Its sanctity is
even extended to animals. Hunting is forbidden in its vicinity and no animals are
scared out of their abodes in order to be captured. It is also forbidden to cut down
the trees in its vicinity. An authentic adth, related by Al-Bukhr and Muslim on the
authority of Ibn Àbbs, mentions that the Prophet (peace be upon him), said on the
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day when Makkah was liberated by the Muslims: God has made this city a sacred
one ever since the day He created the heavens and the earth. It remains, therefore,
inviolable by virtue of the sanctity imparted to it by God till the Day of Resurrection.
Fighting in this city was never made lawful to anyone before me. It has only been
made lawful to me for an hour of one day. It continues to be sanctified by Gods
order till the Day of Resurrection. Its plants may not be cut, its game may not be
scared. No one may pick up something dropped by other people unless he
recognizes its owner, etc.
This is, then, the House God has chosen to be the qiblah, or direction of Prayer, for
Muslims. It is Gods House which He has made so rich in blessings. It is the first
House ever set up for men to worship in. Moreover, it is the House of Abraham,
containing clear signs that it was Abraham himself who built it. Islam, or submission
to God, is the creed of Abraham. Hence, the House he built is the one which deserves
to serve as the direction of Prayer for Muslims. Moreover, it represents security and
peace on earth. Since it is the focal point of Islam, it represents guidance for mankind.
The srah moves on to state that God has imposed a duty on mankind to make
pilgrimage to this House once they are able to do so. Otherwise, they let themselves
fall into disbelief which causes God no harm: Pilgrimage to this House is a duty owed to
God by all people who are able to undertake it. As for those who disbelieve, God does not stand
in need of anything in all the worlds.
One thing which attracts our attention when we read this verse is the fact that the
duty of pilgrimage is made in absolutely general terms: ... a duty owed to God by all
people. This suggests, first of all, that the duty of pilgrimage is also required of the
Jews who disputed the validity of the Muslims turning to the Ka`bah in their Prayer.
Their argument fails completely when it is realised that they themselves are required
to make the pilgrimage to this House, since it is the House built by their father,
Abraham, and the first one ever to be set up for worship by mankind. In this light,
the Jews appear to be the deviant and disobedient ones. We may also infer from the
way this verse is phrased that all mankind are required to accept this faith, fulfil its
duties, offer its worship, and make the journey of pilgrimage to the House to which
the believers in God turn. Unless they do this, their stand is one of disbelief, no
matter how strongly they may profess to be believers. God stands in no need of
anything or anyone. He does not need peoples belief in Him, nor does He benefit by
their pilgrimage. The benefit and prosperity are theirs when they accept the faith and
offer the worship.
Pilgrimage is a personal obligation on every individual once in a lifetime, and it
becomes due when the conditions of ability are fulfilled, including physical health,
ability to travel and safe passage. There is, however, a difference of opinion among
scholars with regard to the time when this duty was imposed. Relying on the report
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that the present passage was revealed in the ninth year of the Prophets settlement in
Madinah, which is generally known in history books as the year of delegations,
some scholars believe that pilgrimage was made an obligatory duty in that same
year. They support their argument with the fact that the Prophet himself went on his
pilgrimage after that date. When we discussed the question of changing the direction
of the qiblah, in our commentary on the preceding srah, we made the point that the
timing of the Prophets pilgrimage could not be taken as an argument in support of
the view that the pilgrimage was made obligatory at a late stage in the Prophets life.
Several considerations might have contributed to that delay. One of these may have
been the fact that the idolaters used to do the walking round the Ka`bah (awf)
completely in the nude, and they continued to do so after the liberation of Makkah.
The Prophet did not like to join them in their awf. The srah entitled Repentance,
or Al-Tawbah, was revealed in the ninth year of the Islamic calendar, and idolaters
were banned from awf in the Ka`bah altogether. The Prophet offered his pilgrimage
in the following year. Hence, the duty of offering the pilgrimage may have been
legislated earlier, and this verse may have been revealed in the early part of the
Prophets settlement in Madinah, probably around the time of the Battle of Uud
which took place in the third year of the Islamic calendar.
Nonetheless, this statement imposes the obligation of pilgrimage, in the terms of a
right which God demands from all people who are able to make the journey.
Pilgrimage is the Muslims annual general assembly which is held at the House
from which their message was given to them for the first time, and which witnessed
the birth of the pure faith of Abraham, their first father, and which was the first
House God has set up on earth for His own worship. Pilgrimage is, therefore, an
assembly of great significance. Its historical associations centre round the noble
concept of faith, which highlights the link between man and his Creator. Faith means
mans spiritual response to God, a fact of great significance considering that only by
the breathing of Gods spirit has man acquired his humanity. It is a worthy concept
to form the basis for human unity. Hence, it is appropriate that people should
assemble every year at the Sacred Place which witnessed the birth of this call to
mankind to unite on pure faith.
An Appeal in the Interest of Truth
Having provided this clarification, the srah instructs the Prophet to address the
people of earlier revelations denouncing their attitude towards the truth of the
Islamic message. They know this truth full well, yet they try to turn people away
from it. They disbelieve in Gods revelations although they bear witness to them and
they are certain that these revelations are true: Say: People of earlier revelations, why

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do you disbelieve in Gods revelations, when God Himself is witness to all that you do? Say:
People of earlier revelations, why do you try to turn those who have come to believe away
from the path of God, seeking to make it appear crooked, when you yourselves bear witness [to
its being straight? God is not unaware of what you do. (Verses 98-9)
Similar denunciations are made in this srah as in many others. It is a highly
effective denunciation because it does not mince words about the matter in question.
The attitude of the people of earlier revelations is truthfully described, and they are
shown in their true colours, even though they try to appear as people who have faith
when they are in reality unbelievers. They disbelieve in the Qurn, which is revealed
by God. Anyone who disbelieves in any part of Gods book disbelieves in the whole
of that book. Were they true believers in the part of Gods book which has been
revealed to them, they would have believed in every messenger sent by God after
their own messenger. The essence of Divine faith is the same. Anyone who knows it
knows for certain that whatever is preached by subsequent messengers is also true.
He is bound to accept the prophets call to surrender himself to God in the way they
teach. This fact should shake those people and make them fear the consequences of
insisting on their erring ways.
Those in the Muslim community who are deceived by the fact that those people
adhere to a Divine book can no longer be so deceived. As they listen to Gods words
declaring the truth about those people, branding them as total unbelievers, all their
doubts are bound to disappear. God issues them with warnings which strike fear in
their hearts: God Himself is witness to all that you do ... God is not unaware of what you
do. It is a fearful warning because it makes man feel that God watches him and sees
exactly what he does, which is, in reality, nothing but disbelief, deception and
corruption. Moreover, God makes it clear that they are aware of the truth which they
deny and away from which they try to turn people: ... You yourselves bear witness [to
its being straight. It is absolutely clear, then, that they were aware of the truth which
they rejected. They knowingly tried to turn people away from what they realised to
be a straight path. What wickedness! Anyone who adopts such a practice is not
worthy of trust, but rather of contempt and denunciation.
We need to reflect on Gods description of those people in the following terms: ...
Why do you try to turn those who have come to believe away from the path of God, seeking to
make it appear crooked? (Verse 99) This is a statement of great significance. Gods path
is straight, and every other way is crooked. When people are turned away from
Gods path and believers are forcibly barred from following Gods constitution,
nothing remains straight. Our standards become faulty and nothing remains on earth
except crookedness which can never be set straight.
Corruption, thus, gains the upper hand. Human nature becomes corrupt as it
deviates from the straight path, and life becomes corrupt as it follows a crooked line.
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All this corruption is the result of turning people away from the path of God. Such
corruption manifests itself in different ways: erroneous concepts, deviant conscience,
crooked morality, wicked behaviour, unfair transactions and injustice in all relations
within human society. Either people follow the path of God which is straight and
which leads to everything that is good, or they deviate from it in any direction, and
this inevitably leads to crookedness, evil and corruption. In mans life, there is no
third alternative.
A Warning Against Obeying Non-Muslims
Believers! If you pay heed to some of those who have been given revelations, they will
cause you to renounce the truth after you have accepted the faith. But how can you
sink into disbelief when Gods revelations are being recited to you and His messenger
is in your midst? He who holds fast to God has already been guided along a straight
path. (Verses 100-1)
Having answered all the arguments advanced by Christians and Jews against the
message of Islam, the srah now makes this direct address to the Muslim community,
which begins with a stern warning against paying heed to false claims made by
followers of other religions, and outlines the essential characteristics of the Muslim
community, its methods, beliefs and way of life.
The Muslim community implements a Divine system which makes it unique
among all nations of the world. It owes its very existence to this system which, in
turn, assigns to it a role which cannot be played by any other community. It has to
establish this Divine system in practice so that it appears to all eyes as real and
practical. Statements and clauses are thus translated into actions. They define moral
standards, generate certain feelings and establish certain relations.
The Muslim community, however, cannot go along its proper way, realise the
purpose of its existence and make the theory a reality unless it receives its instruction
from God alone. Only through this can the Muslim community assume the
leadership of mankind. This precludes them any possibility of following or paying
heed to any human being. The choice before the Muslim community is either to
follow this course dictated by its faith, or to sink into utter disbelief.
The Qurn emphasises this fact on several occasions. It tries to mould the feelings,
thoughts and morality of the Muslim community on the basis of this principle at
every possible opportunity. On this particular occasion, by answering the arguments
of the people of earlier revelations and forestalling their schemes against the Muslim
community in Madinah, this principle is re-emphasised. The fact that it is stated
again here, within the context of a particular set of circumstances, does not detract
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from its permanent validity. It applies to all generations of the Muslim community
because it is the basis of its very existence.
If the Muslim community is brought into existence in order to assume the
leadership of mankind, how is it possible for that community to receive instructions
from the very ignorance which it aims to eradicate? If the Muslim community is to
abandon its role of leadership, what purpose has its existence? Its leadership is to
provide correct concepts and beliefs for human life, generating perfect moral
standards and a perfect social set-up. In such a healthy situation, the human intellect
makes its constructive contribution as it tries to learn the secrets of the universe and
manipulate its potentials. The leadership which permits and controls all that
potential, using it for the benefit of mankind, not to threaten human life with
destruction, nor to devote it to satisfy carnal desires, belongs to faith only. It is given
to the Muslim community which seeks Gods guidance and does not allow itself to
be dictated to by anyone of Gods servants.
These verses include a warning to the Muslim community against following other
people. These are followed later by an explanation of how the Muslim community
can create and maintain a proper set-up. The first warning is against following
people of earlier revelations, the Christians and Jews, for they will inevitably lead the
Muslim community back into disbelief: Believers! If you pay heed to some of those who
have been given revelations, they will cause you to renounce the truth after you have accepted
the faith. (Verse 100) In the first place, to follow the people of earlier revelations and
to copy their methods and systems indicate an inner defeat and suggest that the
Muslim community has abandoned its leadership role. It also suggests the existence
of doubts in the minds of the Muslims about the adequacy of the Divine system to
organise and elevate human life. These very doubts are the beginnings of creeping
disbelief, even though in these earlier stages one may not sense the approaching
danger.
The people of earlier revelations, on the other hand, are keen to turn the Muslim
community away from its faith, which represents both its line of defence and its
driving force. The enemies of Islam are well aware of this, as they have always been.
Hence, they spare no effort and resort to all manner of schemes and designs so as to
divert the Muslim community from its proper way. When they realise that they
cannot win an open war against the faith of Islam, they resort to evil. When they feel
they cannot launch a war against it by themselves, they recruit hypocrites who
pretend to be Muslims so that they work against Islam from within, advocating
different systems and pledging their loyalty to different leaderships.
Were the people of earlier revelations to find some Muslims responsive to their
arguments, they would lose no time in channelling that responsiveness to their
paramount goal of leading those Muslims, and the Muslim community as a whole, to
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total disbelief and renunciation of the truth. Hence, the sternness of the Divine
warning: Believers! If you pay heed to some of those who have been given revelations, they
will cause you to renounce the truth after you have accepted the faith. (Verse 100)
At the time of the Prophet, no prospect was more daunting to any Muslim than to
find himself sinking into disbelief after he had accepted the faith. That meant
throwing himself back into the fire of hell after he had saved himself and opened his
way to heaven. This applies to every true Muslim across generations. Hence, a
warning in such terms is sufficient to alert his conscience and keep it wide awake.
The srah, therefore, continues the warning with a reminder to the Muslim
community of Gods grace. How fearful is that prospect, of finding those who have
accepted the faith allowing themselves to be led back into disbelief, when Gods
revelations continue to be recited to them, and Gods Messenger remains in their
midst. All the incentives to accept the faith are there, and the call to God continues to
be made, and the parting of the ways of belief and disbelief is made absolutely clear:
But how can you sink into disbelief when Gods revelations are being recited to you and His
messenger is in your midst? (Verse 101)
It is indeed a great calamity that a believer should sink into disbelief in
circumstances which are conducive to strengthen his faith. If Gods Messenger has
completed his term in this life, Gods revelations remain with us, and the guidance of
His Messenger continues to show us the way. Today, we are addressed by the
Qurn as the first generation of Muslims were addressed by it. The way to follow
that guidance is clear and the banner of the truth continues to fly high: He who holds
fast to God has already been guided along a straight path. (Verse 101) The only guarantee
against slipping into renunciation of the truth is to hold fast to God. He is the eternal
Master of all. He never dies.
Making Sure Ones Way Is Right
The Prophet used to adopt a very strict attitude with his Companions in matters of
faith and with regard to their way of life. At the same time, he allowed them to use
their discretion in practical matters which rely on experience and knowledge.
Examples of these include military strategy, agriculture and all purely scientific
matters which belong to a domain that has no bearing on faith, social system or the
relationships which regulate mans life. The way of life adopted by an individual or a
certain society has nothing to do with pure or applied science.
The religion of Islam, which has been revealed to conduct human life according to
a certain Divine method, makes its directive clear to man to seek knowledge and to
benefit by every material discovery or scientific advance, provided that this is made
within the context of implementing Islams own method of life.
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Imm Ahmad relates, on the authority of Àbdullh ibn Thbit, that Ùmar came
to the Prophet one day and said: Messenger of God! I have asked a Jewish friend of
mine from the tribe of Quraiah to write me the basic teachings of the Torah. Shall I
read them to you? The Prophets face changed colour when Ùmar said that.
Àbdullh ibn Thbit turned to Ùmar and said: Do you not see the expression on
Gods messengers face? Ùmar said immediately: I believe in God as my only
Lord, accept Islam as my faith and Muammad as Gods messenger. The Prophets
face regained its normal colour and he said: By Him who holds my soul in His
hand, if Moses comes back to you tomorrow and you follow him and leave me you
will go astray. You are my share of nations and I am your share of Prophets.
A adth reported by Jbir quotes the Prophet as saying: Do not ask the people of
the earlier revelations about anything, for they will not guide you aright when they
have gone astray. You will have one of the two alternatives: either you will accept a
falsehood, or you will reject a truth. Had Moses been living among you, the only
course lawful to him would be to follow me. The Prophet is also quoted as saying:
Had Moses and Jesus been alive, they would have had to follow me.
This is the position of the people of earlier revelations. The Prophet makes our
position abundantly clear when it comes to following their guidance in matters of
faith, ideological concepts, law or way of life. However, Islam imposes no restriction
whatsoever on its followers when it comes to benefiting by the advances of any
group of people in any branch of science. We have only to relate these advances to
our own approach to everything in the universe, knowing that God has enabled man
to make use of everything on earth so as to achieve a higher and more secure
standard of living. We should also be grateful to God for enabling us to make such
discoveries and for facilitating our use of the resources and potentials He has placed
in the universe. We express our gratitude to Him by worshipping Him alone and by
making the right use of our advances.
When it comes to asking the followers of other religions about concepts of faith,
the purpose of human life, its method, laws and regulations, its moral values and
codes, we find the Prophets face changing colour at the slightest indication of such.
God gives the Muslim community a stern warning against being led by others in any
such matter. The ultimate result of that is nothing but the total rejection of faith.
In the light of this directive from God and the guidance of His Messenger, where
do we, who claim to be Muslims, stand today? I see us taking Orientalists and their
disciples as our teachers when we study the Qurn and the adth of the Prophet. I
also see us formulating our concepts of life and existence on the basis of what we
learn from these Orientalists, as well as from Greek, Roman, European and American
philosophers. We borrow our regulations and laws from these suspect sources. I also
find us borrowing our manners, code of conduct, and morality from the stinking
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immorality into which the modern material civilisation has fallen. Yet we still claim
to be Muslims! Such a claim is worse than open disbelief. For when we take such a
stance, when our state of affairs is such, we testify to the failure of Islam. Such a
testimony is not made even by non-Muslims.
Islam is a method with unique, distinctive characteristics in relation to its
ideological philosophy, its laws regulating all spheres of life, and its moral code
which governs all political, economic and social relations. It is a method designed to
lead humanity as a whole. Hence, it is necessary that a certain community should
implement this method in order to assume the leadership of mankind. As we stated
earlier, it is contrary to the very nature of leadership that this community should
receive directives from any source other than its own method of life.
It is for the good of mankind that this method was revealed by God. It is also for
the good of mankind that the advocates of Islam call for the implementation of this
method, now and in the future. Indeed, the urgency for its implementation today is
that much greater, considering the terrible suffering of mankind under all other
systems. There is simply no saviour except this Divine method which must retain all
its distinctive characteristics in order for it to play its proper role and save mankind
anew.
Man has made great advances in utilising the resources and potentials of the
universe. His achievements in medicine and industry are miraculous when
compared with his past. Fresh discoveries and triumphs still await us. But what is
the effect of all this on human life? Has it given man happiness, security and peace?
The answer is in the negative. What humanity has found instead is misery, worry,
fear, neurological and psychiatric disease, in addition to widespread perversion and
crime. Moreover, it has made no progress whatsoever in the formulation of a sound
concept dealing with the purpose of human existence. When this is compared with
the Islamic concept, this civilisation appears to shrink into insignificance. It seems no
more than a curse which belittles mans own concept of himself and his position in
the universe. It degrades him and limits his aspirations. The result is a heart
consumed by a void and a soul writhing under the burden of confusion.
The simple reason is that humanity cannot find God because miserable
circumstances have caused its course to deviate away from Him. Had scientific
research followed the Divine method, it would have made every achievement
accomplished by man a step drawing humanity nearer to God. Instead, it causes
humanity to move further away from Him. Man is, therefore, deprived of the light
which would have revealed for him the true purpose of his existence and which
would have enabled him to work for that purpose equipped with the scientific
progress God has enabled him to achieve. Furthermore, man is deprived of the
method which would have established harmony between him and the universe. He
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is also deprived of the system which would have established a perfect equilibrium
between individual and community, mans potentials and resources, rights and
duties, as well as the interests and concerns of this world and the life to come.
Certain groups of people even strive to deprive man of Gods method and
guidance. It is they who describe mans aspiration to implement this method as
reaction. They dismiss it as a mere nostalgia for the historical past. Whether this be
the result of their ignorance or their ill-will, they actually deprive humanity of the
right to aspire to the only method which can lead it to perfect peace and happiness,
as well as to progress and development. We, who believe in this method, know
perfectly well what we call for. We see the misery of mankind and we see as well,
over the horizon, the real possibility for mankinds salvation. We are also aware that
unless the leadership of mankind is given over to this method, then man will sink
into even further deprivation.
The first step to salvation is that this method should remain pure. Its advocates
must not listen to any directive given to them by the ignorance which has spread all
around them. This ensures the purity of the system until God wills it to reassume the
leadership of mankind. God is too kind to man to let him fall prey to his enemies
who advocate ignorant ways. This is the lesson God delivered to the first Muslim
community in His revelation and which the Prophet was keen to drive home to his
followers by his sound teaching.
Brotherhood After Hostility
God warns the Muslim community that it cannot hope to implement the Islamic
way of life or fulfil the great trust God has placed in it, unless it acquires the two
basic qualities of faith and brotherhood. It must have a faith which keeps the fear of
God ever present in its mind. It must also make brotherhood in Islam a reality. Only
through this brotherhood can the Muslim community acquire its strength and be able
to play its most important role in human life and history, namely, the role of
enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong. In other words, it promotes
every good thing in human life and purges it from every evil.
Believers! Fear God as you rightly should, and do not allow death to overtake you
before you have surrendered yourselves truly to Him. Hold fast, all of you together, to
the bond with God and do not be disunited. And remember the blessings God has
bestowed on you: how, when you were enemies (to one another] He united your hearts
and, by His grace, you have become brothers; and how, when you were on the brink of
an abyss of fire, He saved you from it. Thus God makes clear His revelations to you, so
that you may be rightly guided. (Verses 102-3)
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Faith and brotherhood are the two pillars upon which the structure of the Muslim
community is built. If either of them collapses, the very existence of the Muslim
community is undermined, and its great role comes to nothing. The first pillar is that
of having faith and fear of God. It is only through such fear that man can fulfil his
duties towards God because it makes him always alert. He does not lose sight of his
duty for a moment of day or night.
Believers! Fear God as you rightly should. This command is given in general terms
so as to heighten its effect. It thus makes the believer keen to achieve this goal of
fearing God as He should rightly be feared, according to mans understanding and
ability. This is a road which attracts man more and more as he walks further and
further. The nearer he draws to God through fearing Him, the higher the goal he sets
for himself. He will continuously strive to achieve a greater position, so as to make
his heart always alert, never asleep.
Do not allow death to overtake you before you have surrendered yourselves truly to
Him. The timing of death is beyond the reach of our knowledge. No man can be
certain when death will overtake him. Hence, if anyone wants to die a Muslim, in the
full sense of the word, he must surrender himself to God, right here and now. He
must also abide by the requirements of this surrender at all times. The fact that Islam
is mentioned after the command to have fear of God points to its wider implications:
total surrender and submission to God, complete obedience and implementation of
His method, and making His book the final arbiter in all affairs. This is the meaning
which pervades the whole srah.
This is the first pillar upon which the structure of the Muslim community is built.
Without it, no human grouping can be described as Islamic. No Divine method of life
can come into operation in any community without it. In its absence, there are only
ignorant methods and ignorant leadership.
The other pillar is the bond of brotherhood, based on the love of God and
implementation of His method: Hold fast, all of you together, to the bond with God and
do not be disunited. And remember the blessings God has bestowed on you: how, when you
were enemies [to one another] He united your hearts and, by His grace, you have become
brothers. (Verse 103) It is a brotherhood which has its roots in the fear of God and in
surrendering to Him. In other words, it is derived from the first pillar. Its cornerstone
is to hold fast to the bond with God, that is, the fulfilment of His commands and the
implementation of His law. It cannot have any other basis, concept, goal or bond.
Hold fast, all of you together, to the bond with God and do not be disunited. This
brotherhood which holds fast to a strong bond with God is a blessing with which
God has favoured the first Muslim community. It is a blessing which God always
grants to those of His servants whom He loves. He reminds the first Muslim
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community here of this blessing, recalling how enmity was rife among them in their
pre- Islamic days. No enmity was fiercer than that which existed between the Aws
and the Khazraj, the two Arab tribes in Yathrib, the city which came to be called
Madinah. Alongside them lived the Jews who were always trying to perpetuate this
hostility in order to weaken both tribes and destroy all ties between them. It was in
such an atmosphere of hatred that the Jews worked and flourished. God, however,
united the hearts of both Arab tribes with the tie of Islam. It is only through Islam
that such mutually hostile hearts could be united. It was only through the bond of
God, to which all can hold fast, that they could become, by Gods grace, brothers.
Historical grudges, vengeance killings, personal ambitions and racial ties are reduced
to nothing when compared with the bond of brotherhood which unites all under the
banner of God, the Almighty: And remember the blessings God has bestowed on you:
how, when you were enemies [to one another] He united your hearts and, by His grace, you
have become brothers. (Verse 103)
He also reminds them of His grace in the form of saving them from the fire after
they were about to fall in it. He saved them when He guided them to hold fast to His
bond, the first pillar, and when He united their hearts so that they became brothers,
the second pillar: When you were on the brink of an abyss of fire, He saved you from it.
(Verse 103) We note here that the Qurn refers to mans heart, which is the centre of
his feelings and bonds. It does not say: He united you. Rather, it refers to mans own
deeply-seated feelings: He united your hearts. Mens hearts are thus described as a
solid group, united by God on the basis of His covenant. We also have here a vivid
description of the Muslims earlier situation which touches their hearts: ... You were
on the brink of an abyss of fire. At the very moment when their fall into the abyss is
expected, those hearts feel Gods hand as it reaches out and saves them. They feel
Gods bond stretched out to them in order to protect them. We find them saved after
exposure to a great danger. It is a very vivid, heart-touching scene which is raised
before our eyes despite the lapse of many centuries.
In their biographies of the Prophet, Muammad ibn Isq and others, report that
this verse was revealed on the occasion of a Jewish leader from Madinah passing by a
group of Muslims from both the Aws and the Khazraj. When he looked at them a
sudden awareness overtook him. He realized that their past hostility had been
replaced by genuine love and brotherhood. He was determined to spoil this healthy
atmosphere. He sent a man with instructions to sit with those people and remind
them of their past hostilities, and the fierce battles that had taken place between
them, particularly the Battle of Bu`th, in which both tribes suffered heavy casualties.
The man was successful in his mission and soon tempers were boiling among that
group. In their anger, some of the tribesmen repeated their old slogans. Someone
called for his sword. Others repeated the same call. Someone even suggested that
they should meet for battle the following day outside Madinah. When the Prophet
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received intelligence of what was taking place between them, he went hurriedly to
them and tried hard to cool their tempers. He said to them: Do you resort to your
ignorant ways when I am living in your midst? He recited to them the Qurnic
verse: And remember the blessings God has bestowed on you: how, when you were enemies
[to one another] He united your hearts and, by His grace, you have become brothers; and how,
when you were on the brink of an abyss of fire, He saved you from it. (Verse 103) They
soon regained their senses and regretted what had happened. Peace prevailed anew
among them and they hugged each other in genuine brotherly love. They had been
rightly guided when Gods revelation was made clear to them. Hence, the
concluding comment in that Qurnic verse is an apt description of their case: Thus
God makes clear His revelations to you, so that you may be rightly guided.
This is just one example of Jewish efforts to sever the bond which unites those
who love God and follow the Divine method and make of them a model community,
providing leadership for the rest of mankind. Every time a true Muslim community
comes into existence, holding fast to the bond of God and implementing His
constitution, the Jews start their scheming to create division among them. When that
group of early Muslims heeded what they were bid by people of earlier revelations,
they were about to sink back into disbelief, about to do battle with each other. Their
bond with God which unites them in a genuine brotherhood was about to be
severed.
This verse has much wider significance than just this particular incident. Taken
with what precedes and follows it, the verse suggests that the Jews in Madinah were
engaged in a continuous effort to create division and disunity among the Muslims.
Hence, the repeated Qurnic warnings to the Muslims not to pay heed to the people
of earlier revelations and to make sure that they would not fall victim to their
scheming. We detect here a feeling that the Muslim community was undergoing
great troubles as a result of the plots of the Jews in Madinah. Those same tactics have
been employed all the time against Muslims everywhere in the world.
The Role of the Muslim Community
The task of the Muslim community is to implement the Divine method in human
society, and to help truth to triumph over falsehood, goodness over evil. This task is
stated in the following verse: Let there become of you a nation that invites to all that is
good, enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid what is wrong. Such are they who shall
prosper. (Verse 104)
It is imperative for this community to come into existence so as to invite all to that
which is good, and to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. The Qurnic
statement imparts that this must be done through a real authority which can invite,
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enjoin and forbid. Anyone may be able to invite to what is good, but no one can
enjoin and forbid unless he is equipped with real authority.
This is the proper Islamic view of the matter. It is essential that there should be an
authority to undertake the task of advocating what is good and removing what is
evil. The units which constitute this authority must combine together, hold fast to
their bond with God, and translate their brotherhood into a reality. The prerequisites
enabling this authority to implement the Divine method in life are faith and
brotherhood. The Divine method cannot be put into practice without inviting
others to every good so that people realise the true nature of this Divine method. It
also requires an active authority to enjoin what is right and forbid what is
wrong. Such an authority must be obeyed. God says: We have sent every messenger in
order to be obeyed with Gods leave. (Al-Nis 4:64) Hence, Gods method is not merely
preaching and verbal explanation. This is only one part of it. The other part is an
active and sustained effort to promote every right thing in human life and to reduce
to a minimum every wrong. In this way, the traditions of the good Muslim
community will be protected against the whims of anyone who has the power to
impose his own interests on the community. It also protects these traditions against
all abuse or subservience to personal desire or interest.
The task of enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong is not an easy
one, especially when we consider that it inevitably conflicts with peoples desires,
interests and pride. There are in this world of ours tyrants who impose their
authority by force, people who are interested only in carnal desires and who do not
wish to be elevated to a nobler standard. There are also the lazy who hate to be asked
to be serious, the unfair who hate justice, the deviant who do not for a moment
contemplate a straightforward attitude, as well as those who think wrong of every
right thing and consider every wrong thing to be right. No nation, let alone humanity
as a whole, can prosper unless goodness prevails, right is upheld and wrong is
thrown out. Hence, the need for an authority to promote goodness and right and to
combat evil. What is more, this authority must be obeyed.
This leads us back to the point where we started: a community must be built on
the two essential qualities of faith and brotherhood. It is only such a community that
can undertake this difficult task, equipped with the power of faith and the
seriousness it derives from fearing God as well as the strength of love and
brotherhood. It is only through the fulfilment of this role that this community can
prosper. Hence, God describes those who fulfil it as prosperous: Such are they who
shall prosper. (Verse 104)
The existence of such a community is essential for the Divine method itself. It is
indeed the environment in which it can breathe and become a practical reality. It is a
good, healthy environment where people co-operate to promote goodness. In such a
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community, right is synonymous with goodness, virtue and justice, whereas wrong
means evil, vice and injustice. To do good in such a community is easier than to do
evil, virtue is simpler than vice, right stronger than wrong, justice more common and
beneficial than injustice. A person who wants to do good will find help while the one
who wants to do evil will meet resistance. It is this fact that gives this community its
greatest value. It provides an environment where goodness and right can prosper
without the need for any great effort, because everything in this environment lends
them support. Wrong and evil can only grow with difficulty because of the all-round
resistance which neglects it.
The concept Islam formulates of life, actions, events, values and people is
essentially different from all other concepts. Hence, a special environment, which is
totally different from that state of ignorance which prevails in unreligious
communities, is needed to enable this unique concept, with all its unique values, to
flourish. This environment must be conditioned by the Islamic concept of human life
and must serve it so that it may live, breathe freely and grow in it, without
encountering any internal hindrances to its development. Should it encounter any
obstacles, then the essential qualities of the Muslim community, to advocate all that
is good and to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, are certain to remove
them. Should an oppressive force attempt to turn people away from God, then it will
inevitably encounter those who are prepared to defend and protect the Divine
method of life.
This environment is embodied in the Muslim community which is built on the
twin pillars of faith and brotherhood. Its faith in God brings conformity to its concept
of life, events, actions, values and people and gives it a single standard with which to
evaluate everything in life. It conducts all its affairs according to the same Divine law
and pledges all its loyalty to the leadership which takes upon itself the task of
implementing Gods method in human life. The brotherhood of faith provides this
community with bonds of love and mutual care. These ties ensure the absence of
selfishness in the community and help its members care for one another without
pressure or ill feeling.
The first Muslim community in Madinah was built on these two pillars: faith in
God based on knowing Him and recognising His attributes, fearing Him and being
constantly aware of what pleases Him; and genuine, flowing love, true friendship
and mutual care. The first Muslim community achieved all this in practice, an ideal
normally considered closer to dreams than reality. The brotherhood established
between the Muhjirn (Muslims who emigrated from Makkah) and the Anr (the
Muslims of Madinah) is a real story approximating absolute idealism. It is an event
borrowed from the heavens, but which took place on this earth. It is on the basis of
such strong faith and real brotherhood that Gods method of life can be implemented
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in every generation.
Faces Shining with Happiness
A fresh warning to the Muslim community against falling out with one another is
added here. The example of those people of earlier revelations who were entrusted
with the implementation of Gods method but who allowed division and conflict to
creep into their ranks is given. Therefore, God deprived them of the leadership
position and instead assigned that role to the Muslim community, which fosters its
bond of brotherhood. Moreover, those who are not true to their task will be sternly
punished on the day when faces will either shine or be blackened: Do not follow the
example of those who became divided and fell into conflict with one another after clear proof
had come to them. For these there will be grievous suffering, on the day when some faces will
shine with happiness and some faces will be blackened. Those whose faces are blackened [shall
be told]: Did you disbelieve after having embraced the faith? Taste, then, this suffering for
having sunk into disbelief Those with shining faces shall be in Gods grace; they abide there
for even (Verses 105-7)
A vivid scene, full of life, is drawn here in the inimitable style of the Qurn. The
scene is one of horror, but the horror is not described in words or adjectives. It is
represented in living human beings, in their faces and looks. We see bright, shining
faces, full of joy and happiness, and others gloomy, dusty and blackened. Yet those
people are still not left alone to suffer their fate. They have to put up with scourging
comments: Did you disbelieve after having embraced the faith? Taste, then, this suffering
for having sunk into disbelief.
The happy fortunes of the other group is also vividly described: Those with
shining faces shall be in Gods grace; they abide there for ever. This description adds life,
movement and dialogue to the scene, again in the Qurns inimitable style.
The scene helps the Muslim community fully appreciate the Qurnic warning
against division and conflict. The grace God has bestowed on it through faith and
unity is also fully appreciated. The Muslim community sees with its own eyes the
end of those people of earlier revelations whom it has been warned not to obey. If it
follows them, it will share their doom and suffering on the day when faces will either
shine or be blackened.
When the destiny of each of the two groups has been clearly stated, a comment is
added which is in harmony with the broad lines of the srah. It reasserts the truth of
the Prophets message and revelation, the fact that reckoning and reward on the Day
of Judgement are to be taken seriously, the fact that Divine justice in this world and
in the hereafter is absolute, and the fact that all that is in heaven and on earth belong
to God and to Him they shall all return: These are revelations of God. We recite them to
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you in truth. God wills no injustice to His creatures. To God belongs all that is in the heavens
and all that is on earth; to Him shall all things return. (Verses 108-9)
All these facts, all these scenes and destinies so described are revelations given by
God to His servants. They are recited to His messenger in truth. They embody the
truth in the principles and values they establish. They tell only the truth about the
destinies of other nations. They are revealed in truth by the One Who is able to reveal
them and Who alone has the right to determine values, rewards and destinies. God
does not inflict any injustice on anyone of His creatures. He is the fairest of all
arbiters. He controls the heavens and the earth, and to Him belong all that is in
heaven and on earth, and to Him shall they all return. By making reward fit with
action God only wants to establish right, administer justice and ensure that all
matters are conducted seriously as befits His majesty. Absurd is the claim of the
people of earlier revelations that they will only be scourged by the fire for only a few
days.
A Quality Essential to the Muslim Community
You are the best community that has ever been raised for mankind; you enjoin the
doing of what is right and forbid what is wrong, and you believe in God. Had the
people of earlier revelations believed, it would have been for their own good. Few of
them are believers, while most of them are evildoers. (Verse 110)
This verse describes the Muslim nation so that it becomes aware of its position,
value and true nature. The first part of the verse imposes a very heavy duty on the
Muslim community, while at the same time honouring and elevating it to a position
which cannot be given to any other community: You are the best community that has
ever been raised for mankind; you enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid what is wrong,
and you believe in God.
We note first that the reference to the Muslim community as one which has been
raised is made in the passive voice. This suggests that a highly skilful hand has
neatly moulded this community and brought it forth from behind the eternal curtain
which covers things known only to God. The expression adopted here indicates a
subtle and gentle movement which brings forth onto the stage of existence a whole
nation which has a unique role to play and a special position to occupy.
You are the best community that has ever been raised for mankind. The Muslim nation
should understand this in order to know its position and its true nature. It should
know that it has been raised specially for the purpose of assuming the leadership of
mankind, since it is the best nation. God wants the leadership in this planet of ours to
be assumed by the forces of goodness, not the forces of evil. It follows that it should

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never be in the recipient position, taking what other nations have to offer. It must be
the one to offer to others whatever it has of sound ideology, philosophy, morality
and knowledge, and of course its perfect system. This is the duty of the Muslim
nation, imposed on it by its unique position and the purpose of its very existence. It
is a duty on the Muslim nation to assume the leadership of mankind at all times. By
assuming it, it also takes upon itself certain responsibilities. Leadership cannot be
given to any nation which claims it, unless it proves that it is the worthy leader. By
its ideology and social system, the Muslim community is worthy of this position.
What remains for it is to prove that in scientific advancement and in the fulfilment of
mans task of building the earth, it is also an able leader. It is clear then that the
system which brings this nation into existence demands much from it and gives it the
incentive to excel in every field, if only it would follow this system and appreciate its
requirements and duties.
The first requirement is that the Muslim nation should work hard at protecting
human life from evil. It must have the power to enable it to enjoin the doing of all
that is right and forbid the doing of all that is wrong. It is, after all, the best nation
ever raised for mankind. This position is not given to the Muslim community as the
result of any favouritism, coincidence or random selection. Far be it from God to do
that. Positions and duties are not given by God to different nations on the basis of
any favouritism, as the people of earlier revelations were wont to believe, describing
themselves as Gods children and beloved people. (Al-Midah 5:18) The criterion which
makes a certain community worthy of the position of leadership is its active work for
the preservation of human life from evil and the promotion of what is right, in
addition to its implementation of the faith which defines what is right and what is
wrong: You enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid what is wrong. (Verse 110)
The position of leadership is thus earned through the active fulfilment of its tasks,
heavy as they are, and through following the way defined for it, thorny as it may be.
In practical terms, it means standing up against evil, promoting every good and
protecting society against all elements of corruption. All these are extremely hard
tasks, but they are nevertheless necessary if a good human society is to be established
and protected. There is no other way to bring about the type of society which God
loves.
Belief in God is also necessary so that the community has a correct standard of
values and a correct definition of what is right and what is wrong. What is socially
agreed by a community is not enough. For it may happen that corruption becomes so
widespread that standards are no longer correct or appropriate. Hence, reference
must be made to a permanent concept of good and evil, virtue and vice, right and
wrong. This concept should have as its basis something other than the social norms
of any particular generation.
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Belief in God provides all this, since it ensures a correct concept of the universe
and the relationship between the Creator and His creation. It provides the correct
concept of man, the purpose of his existence and his true position in the universe. It
is from this general concept that moral values and principles should be derived. The
desire to earn Gods pleasure and to avoid His displeasure motivates people to work
for the implementation of these principles. They, in turn, are safeguarded by fear of
God and by the authority of His law.
Belief in God is necessary for those who invite to all that is good, enjoin what is
right and forbid what is wrong, to proceed along their appointed course and bear all
its difficulties and hardships. They have to face the tyranny of evil at its fiercest, the
pressures of worldly desires at their strongest, as also complacency, weakness and
narrow ambition. To do this, they have to be equipped with faith. It is their only
weapon. Their support comes from God. Any other aid is exhaustible, any other
weapon can be overpowered and any other support is liable to collapse.
Earlier in the srah, the Muslim community is described by God as having the
necessary qualities to implement His Divine method. That community, however,
does not come into existence by its own volition, but only when it possesses the
essential qualities which distinguish it from the rest of mankind. It either invites to
all that is good, enjoins what is right and forbids what is wrong, in addition to
believing in God; in this case it gives credence to its existence as a Muslim nation. Or,
alternatively, it does not do any of this. In this case it is deemed not to have come
into existence, and it loses its Islamic identity.
The Qurn stresses this in numerous places, each of which will be discussed in its
appropriate context. The Sunnah also includes a number of such directives and
commands by the Prophet, some of which may be quoted here:
Ab Sa`d al-Khudr reports that he heard the Prophet saying: Let any of you
who sees something wrong put it right with his own hand. If he is unable to do so, let
him change it by the word of his mouth. If he cannot do even that, then let him do it
within himself. This is the weakest form of faith. (Related by Muslim.)
Ab Dwd and Al-Tirmidh relate on the authority of Ibn Mas`d that the
Prophet said: When the children of Israel began to commit sins frequently, their
scholars tried to dissuade them, but they persisted. Their scholars, nevertheless,
continued to attend their social gatherings, and to eat and drink with them. God left
them to stray and sealed their hearts. He also cursed them in the words of David,
Solomon and Jesus, son of Mary. The Prophet was saying this as he reclined, but at
this point he sat up and said: By Him who holds my soul in His hand, you must
make them turn back to what is right.
Al-Tirmidh relates on the authority of udhayfah that the Prophet said: By Him
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who holds my soul in His hand, you will enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid
what is wrong, or else, God will visit you with a punishment of His own. You will,
then, pray to Him and He will not answer you.
Gods Messenger says: When a sin is committed on earth, a person who
witnesses it and denounces it is the same as one who has not seen it, and the one who
has been absent and approves of it is considered like one who has taken part in it.
(Related by Ab Dwd.)
Ab Sa`d al-Khudr quotes the Prophet as saying: One of the highest forms of
jihad is to confront a despotic ruler with the word of truth. (Related by Ab Dwd
and Al-Tirmidh.)
Jbir quotes the Prophet as saying: The best of all martyrs is amzah and a man
who stands up to a despotic ruler, enjoins him to do what is right and forbids him
what is wrong, and is, therefore, killed by that ruler.
The Prophet stresses this quality of enjoining what is right and forbidding what is
wrong in many other hadths, all of which establish beyond any shadow of doubt that
it is a prerequisite for the Muslim community. The Sunnah contains a wealth of
directives which provide the best education for the Muslim community.
Unfortunately, however, we tend not to give the Sunnah its true value.
The Fate of Deserters
They cannot harm you beyond causing you some trifling hurt; and if they fight
against you, they will turn their backs upon you in flight. Then they will receive no
help. Ignominy shall be pitched over them wherever they may be, save when they have
a bond with God and a bond with men. They have incurred the wrath of God and
humiliation shall overshadow them. That is because they persisted in denying Gods
revelations and killing the Prophets against all right. That is because they persisted in
their disobedience and transgression. (Verses 111-12)
Its unique qualities make the Muslim community the best nation ever to be raised
for mankind. Having outlined these qualities of enjoining what is right and
forbidding what is wrong and believing in God, the verse goes on to explain that to
have faith is better for people: Had the people of earlier revelations believed, it would have
been for their own good. Few of them are believers, while most of them are evildoers. (Verse
110)
This serves as an encouragement to the people of earlier revelations to accept the
faith of Islam, because such acceptance works for their own good in this life and in
the life to come. By accepting the faith they overcome their division over ideological
concepts, which has robbed them of any chance to establish their own distinctive
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character. Their concepts cannot serve as the basis for a social system. Hence, their
social systems have no firm foundation. This is indeed true of any social system
which is not based on an ideology that provides an overall view of existence, of the
purpose of human existence, as well as mans position in the universe. To believe in
God works for their own good in the life to come, since it is the only means to spare
them the fate of the unbelievers.
The same verse describes their attitude, giving the good ones among them due
credit: Few of them are believers, while most of them are evildoers. A number of the
people of earlier revelations accepted Islam at the time of the Prophet and became
good Muslims. Among them were Àbdullh ibn Sallm, Asad ibn Ùbayd,
Tha`labah ibn Shu`bah and Ka`b ibn Mlik. This verse makes a general reference to
them whilst a more detailed reference is given later. Most of them, however, chose
the evil way of not fulfilling the covenant God made with all prophets, which stated
that every one of them would believe in and support the prophet God sent after him.
They also chose evil when they refused to submit to His will that the last of His
messengers would not be from among the Israelites. They rejected this messenger
and declined to submit to Gods law embodied in His last message, which He has
made applicable to all mankind.
Since some of the Muslims at that time retained various links with the Jews in
Madinah, and since the Jews still possessed military and economic power which
some Muslims felt to be considerable, the Qurn deliberately sets out to belittle
those evildoers. The Qurn shows their true weakness which results from their
disbelief, their repeated crimes and disobedience, their division, and the consequent
ignominy and humiliation imposed on them by God. It also states Gods guarantee to
the believers that they will be victorious over these enemies, provided that they
themselves hold fast to their faith and believe in God.
They cannot harm you beyond causing you some trifling hurt: and if they fight
against you they will turn their backs upon you in flight. Then they will receive no
help. (Verse 111)
The harm they may inflict will never be enough to trouble the Islamic message. It
will never affect the basic structure of the Muslim community or wipe it out. The
most they can inflict on the Muslims is the sort of trifling hurt which is bound to
happen in any open conflict. It is nothing more than a superficial pain which
disappears with time. When they fight against the Muslims, defeat is their ultimate
outcome. They can never be triumphant over the believers. Moreover, they will have
no help against, nor protection from the believers. The reason is that ignominy has
been imposed on them as their fate. They are humiliated everywhere in the world.
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The only protection they have is that which they receive when they seek refuge with
God and with the Muslims.
When they choose to come under the protection of the Muslims, their lives and
their property become immune, except under the normal working of the law, and
they enjoy peace and security. Since that time, the Jews have never enjoyed true
security except when they have enjoyed the protection of the Muslims. Yet they
themselves have shown their utmost hostility to the Muslims. They have incurred the
wrath of God, as if they have returned from their journey burdened with this wrath.
And humiliation shall overshadow them, remaining forever in their hearts and
feelings.
All this took place after this verse was sent down. Whenever a battle flared up
between the Muslims and people of earlier revelations, victory was always achieved
by the Muslims, provided that they held fast to their faith and implemented Gods
law in their lives. Their enemies always suffered ignominy and humiliation except
when they were able to establish a bond with the Muslims or when the Muslims
abandoned their religion.
The Qurn states the reason for the fate so imposed on the Jews. It is a general
reason, the effect of which may be applicable to every nation, no matter how strongly
it professes to be religious. The simple reason is their disobedience and transgression:
That is because they persisted in denying Gods revelations and killing the prophets against
all right. That is because they persisted in their disobedience and transgression. (Verse 112)
Denying Gods revelation, whether it is an attitude adopted outright or a refusal to
implement it practically, the killing of prophets without any justification and the
killing of people who enjoin fairness and justice (as mentioned in another verse of the
srah), as well as disobedience and transgression, are all reasons for incurring Gods
wrath and bringing about defeat, ignominy and humiliation upon oneself. These
reasons are still present today among the lost offspring of the Muslims who call
themselves, without justification, Muslims. They present these very qualifications to
their Lord and they get their fair reward: they receive all that God has imposed on
the Jews of defeat, ignominy and humiliation. Some of them may well ask: why do
we suffer defeat when we are Muslims? Let those who pose such a question first
reflect on what the true nature of Islam is, and who are the true Muslims?
Different Ways, Different Ends
They are not all alike. Of the people of earlier revelations there are some upright people
who recite the revelations of God in the depth of the night, and prostrate themselves in
worship. They believe in God and the Last Day and enjoin the doing of what is right
and forbid what is wrong and vie with one another in doing good works. These belong
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to the righteous. Whatever good they do, they shall never be denied its reward. God
knows those who fear Him. As for the unbelievers, neither their riches nor their
children will avail them in any way against God. It is they who are destined for the
fire, where they will abide. Whatever they spend in this present life is like a biting, icy
wind which smites the tilth of people who have wronged themselves, laying it to waste.
It is not God Who does them wrong; they wrong themselves. (Verses 113-17)
Here the srah reassures the good minority among the people of earlier revelations
who take faith seriously. They are again singled out for praise. The passage begins
with a statement that the people of earlier revelations are not all alike. Some of them
are true believers. Their attitude to faith and to God is described as that of true
believers. This merits them the same reward which God gives to His righteous
servants.
It is a bright picture of the true believers among the people who received Divine
revelations in the past. Their faith is genuine, profound, and complete. They have
made their stand clear. They have joined the ranks of those who surrender
themselves to God and defend this faith with all the power they possess. They
believe in God and the Last Day. Moreover, they fulfil the duties required of them by
their faith and give practical effect to the characteristics of the community which they
have joined, the best community ever raised for mankind. They desire every good
thing. They enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid what is wrong. They have set
themselves a goal and they compete with one another for its achievement. That goal
is to do good works. Hence, they merit this testimony that is given from on high
stating that they belong to the righteous. They also have the promise, which never
fails, that they will not be denied their reward. The verse adds that God, Who is
aware of all things and all people, knows that they belong to that special group of
people who genuinely fear Him.
This picture is raised in front of the eyes of those who wish to have a similar
testimony and a similar promise. They have only to follow the same line and adopt
the same attitude. They will then find its light spreading over the limitless horizon of
their lives.
On the other side stand the unbelievers who will not benefit by their possessions
or by their children. Nothing they may spend in this life for what they may consider
to be a good cause will be of any avail to them. No reward is given them for it in the
hereafter because it has not originated from the straight, constant line of goodness.
Every good thing must have its foundation in belief in God which combines a clear
concept, a well-defined goal, and a straight uninterrupted line. If it does not, it is
reduced to a passing whim or an impulsive desire. It has no clear basis and it is not
related to an overall way of life.
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As for the unbelievers, neither their riches nor their children will avail them in any
way against God. It is they who are destined for the fire, where they will abide.
Whatever they spend in this present life is like a biting, icy wind which smites the tilth
of people who have wronged themselves, laying it to waste. It is not God Who does
them wrong; they wrong themselves. (Verses 116-17)
This is a moving, vivid scene, full of life, and drawn in the fine Qurnic style.
Their riches and their children will never protect them against God. They cannot be
offered in ransom so that they escape punishment. They are destined for the fire of
hell which will become their permanent abode. Whatever they spend of their money,
even on causes which they believe to be good, is wasted. Nothing which does not
have its foundation in faith can be good. The Qurn does not express the ideas it
wants to convey in the same way as we would. Instead, it paints a scene full of life.
When we look up, we find a field ready to yield its crops. It is described as a tilth.
But suddenly the wind blows. It is a biting, icy wind. Its strong bite devastates all the
tilth. The Arabic word used here sounds like a missile thrown with violence. Its
onomatopoeia adds to its meaning. In a single moment, all the crops of that field are
destroyed, laid to waste.
It is only a moment which changes everything. All this devastation happens before
one can even draw ones breath. Nothing is left. This is the Qurnic way of
describing what the unbelievers spend on what may seem to be good causes and
what they count as their blessings of riches and children. All will be laid to waste
giving them no enjoyment and no reward. It is not God Who does them wrong; they
wrong themselves. It is they who have abandoned the way of life which groups
together every single aspect of goodness and righteousness and makes of them a
straight, consistent line with a recognised motive and a clear goal. Goodness does not
stem from a momentary thought, a vague desire or a sudden impulse.
It is they who have chosen to be in error and to break loose from the protection
offered by their bond with God. If all their actions are wasted, including what they
may spend on seemingly good causes, and if their tilth is devastated and they can
benefit nothing by wealth or children, this is not an injustice inflicted on them by
God. It is they who are unjust to themselves by virtue of the choice they have made.
What we have here, then, is a clear statement that no reward is given for any
donation to any cause and no value is attached to any work unless it is clearly linked
to the way of life based on faith, and unless it is motivated by faith. It is God Who
makes this statement. It cannot be contradicted, then, by any man. No one may argue
with this statement except those who argue against Gods revelation.
We have examined a long passage of this srah, starting with verse 93, which aims
at explaining the nature of deviation in the behaviour of the people of earlier
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revelations. It lays bare their twisted arguments and exposes the evil designs they
forge in order to undermine the Muslim community. It also issues directives to the
Muslim community to discharge its duties paying no heed to the transgressors and
their deviant arguments. At the end of this passage, a warning is issued to the
Muslim community against establishing an intimate relationship with its natural
enemies, the unbelievers, revealing its secrets to them and trusting them with its
interests. This warning is presented in the form of a detailed picture which may be
seen in every age and in every community. Today, those who claim to be Muslims
and to be the people of the Qurn have overlooked this Qurnic picture. This has
rebounded on them; hence the evil and humiliation they suffer today.
The Sort of Friends Unbelievers Make
Believers, do not take for your intimate friends men other than your own folk. They
will spare no effort to corrupt you. They love to see you in distress. Their hatred has
already become apparent by [what they say with] their mouths, but what their hearts
conceal is even much worse. We have made revelations plain to you, if you will only
use your reason. See for yourselves how it is you who love them and they do not love
you. You believe in all revelations. When they meet you they say: We, too, are
believers. But when they find themselves alone, they bite their fingertips with rage
against you. Say: Perish in your rage. God is fully aware of what is in the hearts [of
people]. When good fortune comes your way, it grieves them; and if evil befalls you,
they rejoice. If you persevere and fear God, their machinations cannot harm you in any
way. God encompasses all that they do. (Verses 118-20)
The picture so drawn in these three verses vividly delineates, with full details,
peoples innermost thoughts. It records inner feelings and apparent reactions. It
captures every little movement. It is a picture of a certain type of person who can be
seen in every age, in every society, professing friendship with the Muslims when the
Muslims are strong and victorious. Their claims, however, are belied by their every
thought, every feeling and every organ. Muslims may be deceived by them, placing
their trust in them when they wish nothing but trouble and confusion for the
Muslims and spare no effort to inflict hardships on them. They most determinedly
seek to undermine the Muslims, whenever they have a chance to do so, at any
moment of day or night.
This remarkable picture drawn by the Qurn applies, in the first place, to those
followers of earlier religions who lived close to the Muslim community in Madinah.
It depicts their strong hatred of Islam and the Muslims, as well as their treachery and
evil schemes against the new Muslim community. Nonetheless, some Muslims
continued to think well of these enemies of God. Such Muslims were very friendly
towards them and even passed them information which should have been treated as
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secret, belonging only to the Muslim community. They developed close friendships
and intimacy with them, which meant that they grossly underestimated the
consequences of their friendly gestures. The Qurn, therefore, issues this warning so
as to open the eyes of the Muslim community to the reality of the matter and to make
it aware of the machinations of its natural enemies. This warning is not limited to any
particular period of history. It applies at all times. It deals with a situation which may
exist at any time, as it does indeed in our present time.
The Muslims though remain heedless of their Lords directive not to develop any
intimate friendship with anyone other than their own people. All other people are
inferior to the Muslims in their way of life, methods and nature. God tells the
Muslims not to make any such people their advisors and confidants. Yet the Muslims
do not heed this directive. They continue to refer to such people in every matter and
situation and look up to them for guidance in every system, method and philosophy.
The Muslims, even nowadays, maintain their friendship with people who reject
God and His Messenger. They pay little heed to Gods words which apply to them in
the same way as they applied to the first Muslim community: They love to see you in
distress. Their hatred has already become apparent by [what they say with] their mouths, but
what their hearts conceal is even much worse. (Verse 118)
God also says to the Muslims: See for yourselves how it is you who love them and they
do not love you. You believe in all revelations. When they meet you they say: We, too, are
believers. But when they find themselves alone, they bite their fingertips with rage against
you. (Verse 119) God also points out to the Muslim community the true feelings of
such people: When good fortune comes your way, it grieves them; and if evil befalls you,
they rejoice. (Verse 120)
Time after time we go through bitter experiences but none of these seem to wake
us up. Time after time we discover the unbelievers evil intentions, cleverly masked,
but we do not seem to learn our lesson. Yet they make many slips of the tongue
which reveal their deep hatred of Islam. This which cannot be dispelled by any
measure of friendliness shown to them by the Muslims or by the tolerance Muslims
are taught by their faith. But we nevertheless open our hearts to them and treat them
as close friends throughout life. Our courtesy, or indeed our spiritual defeat, reaches
such proportions that we even avoid mentioning our faith in front of them. We
refrain from taking Islam for our way of life and we distort our own history so as to
avoid any mention of past conflicts between our forefathers and those enemies who
work for our ruin. It is only to be expected then that we receive the punishment of
those who disobey God. It is only natural that we find ourselves weak, defenceless
and humiliated, suffering the distress which they love to see us in, and weakened by
the corruption they spare no effort to spread among us.
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Gods revelations teach us, as they taught the first Muslim community, how to
forestall the plots of the unbelievers, repel the harm they try to cause us and avoid
the evil intentions they harbour against us and which they betray by what they say:
If you persevere and fear God, their machinations cannot harm you in any way. God
encompasses all that they do. (Verse 120) The message is clear. We have to equip
ourselves with perseverance and resolve and stand up to their might if they are
powerful, and to their machinations and designs if they try to deceive us and sow
division in our ranks. It is such perseverance and resolve which will set us on the
road to success. The other requirement is to fear God alone and to watch Him alone.
It is through this fear of God that our hearts will establish our bond with Him,
seeking no other bond and making no ties with anyone except on the basis of Gods
Divine method. When a heart establishes its bond with God, it will look down upon
every power other than His.
This, then, is the way: perseverance and fear of God, coupled with steadfastness
and maintenance of the bond with God. Throughout their history, the Muslims have
always been able to raise their heads high, achieve victory, repel the machinations of
their enemies and achieve supremacy only when they fostered their bond with God
alone and implemented His method in their lives. Conversely when the Muslims
revive their bonds with their natural enemies who try in public and in private to
suppress their faith, and when the Muslims listen to their advice and take friends,
assistants and advisors from among them, then they always bring upon themselves
defeat and subjugation. The unbelievers gain the upper hand and the Muslims are
left humiliated, feeling regret when regret is of no use. History testifies to the fact
that Gods words remain always true and His law is always operative. Anyone who
overlooks Gods law, will be made to experience only humiliation and defeat.
Thus this passage ends, bringing the first section of the srah to its conclusion. The
lesson has been driven home. We stand at the point which separates the Muslims
from their enemies; a separation which is total, complete and final.
As we bring our own commentary on this passage to an end, we should note that
Islam meets all this hostility with tolerance. It simply commands the Muslims not to
take such people as their intimate friends. It does not, however, encourage a policy of
measure for measure with the unbelievers. It does not require them to return the
unbelievers hate, grudges and evil schemes with similar feelings and attitudes. It
seeks only to provide protection for the Muslim community. It simply warns the
Muslims of the danger presented by other people.
A Muslim treats all people with the tolerance characteristic of Islam. He is
motivated by his love to do good to all mankind. He tries to foil the evil schemes of
others against him, but he does not scheme against anyone. He does not harbour
grudges although he takes care not to fall victim to other peoples grudges. Only
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when a Muslim faces aggression which aims to turn him away from his faith and
from following and implementing the method of life God has laid down, is he
required to fight back and break down all barriers which prevent people from
following Divine guidance and implementing the Divine law. His fight is a struggle
for the cause of God. It is not a fight in pursuit of revenge. He fights because he loves
what is good for mankind, not because he nurses a grudge against those who have
caused him harm. He struggles in order to remove the barriers which prevent the
goodness of Islam from reaching mankind, not to win power and dominion over
others. His aim is to implement the perfect system under which all mankind enjoy
justice and peace. He is not after raising any national banner or building any empire.
Many a statement in the Qurn and the Sunnah confirm this fact. Furthermore, the
history of the first Muslim community proves this.
This method of life is absolutely good. Only the enemies of mankind try to turn
them away from it. It is those enemies who must be chased and kicked out of every
position of leadership they occupy. This is the duty God imposes on the Muslim
community. It once fulfilled it as it should be fulfilled. It is called upon to fulfil it all
the time. Struggle under this banner and for the cause of God will continue until the
Day of Judgement.

154
6
Lessons for All Muslim
Generations
Remember when you set out from your home at
an early hour to assign the believers to their battle
posts. God hears all and knows all. (121)
Two of your groups were about to lose heart, but
God was their protector. In God shall the
believers trust. (122)
God gave you victory at Badr when you were
utterly weak. Therefore fear God, that you may
have cause to be grateful. (123)
You said to the believers: Is it not enough for you
[to know] that your Lord should send down three
thousand angels to support you? (124)
Indeed, He will, if you are patient in adversity
and fear God, and if they [the non-believers]
suddenly attack you, your Lord will supply you
with five thousand angels swooping down. (125)
God made this only as a happy news for you, so
that your hearts might take comfort from it.
Victory comes only from God, the Mighty, the
Wise. (126)
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155
It is in order to destroy some of the non-believers,
and so abase others that they lose and withdraw.
(127)
You have no say in the matter. [It is for Him] to
accept their repentance or punish them. They are
wrongdoers. (128)
To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the
earth; He forgives whom He wills and punishes
whom He wills. God is Forgiving and Merciful.
(129)
Believers, do not gorge yourselves on usury,
doubling [your money] again and again. Have
fear of God, so that you may prosper. (130)
Guard yourselves against the fire which has been
prepared for the unbelievers; (131)
and obey God and the messenger, that you may
be graced with mercy. (132)
Hasten, all of you, to the achievement of your
Lords forgiveness, and a paradise as vast as the
heavens and the earth, prepared for the God-
fearing, (133)
who spend [in His way] in time of plenty and in
time of hardship, and restrain their anger, and
forgive their fellow men. God loves the benevolent.
(134)
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156
Overview
From the battlefield of words and ideas and concepts the srah turns now to that
of armed combat: the Battle of Uud.
Uud was not, however, solely an armed confrontation; it was rather a struggle
within the Muslim conscience. Its scope encompassed the whole gamut of human
behaviour, feelings, emotions, aspirations, instincts and limitations. The Qurn was
there to coach the human soul in the most caring and gentle way, and in a manner
that is more comprehensive and effective than any forceful confrontation.
First came the victory, and then the setback. The sweeter and greater triumph,
however, was still to come. It was the triumph of enlightenment and of a clarity of
understanding the facts as the Qurn lays them down. A triumph of having those
facts established as convictions. Muslim hearts were put to the test and purified, their
ranks were set apart and the whole community proceeded with clearer concepts,
more definite values, and stronger feelings than before. Furthermore, the hypocrites
were largely set apart. In what ensued, the characteristics of hypocrisy and sincerity,
as manifested in feelings, words, behaviour and actions, became much clearer, as did
the obligations of faith and the responsibilities attendant on it. The battle clearly
defined the preparations required of the Muslims in knowledge, devotion,
organisation, compliance and total dependence on God Almighty, every step of the
way. Everything was and is up to Him alone, in times of victory as in times of defeat,
in life as in death.
Those who, when they commit a gross indecency or
wrong themselves, remember God and pray for
the forgiveness of their sins for who but God
can forgive sins? and do not knowingly persist
in doing the wrong they may have done. (135)
These shall have the reward of forgiveness by their
Lord, and gardens underneath which rivers flow,
where they shall abide. Excellent is the reward for
those who labour [well]. (136)
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157
The unexpected defeat suffered by the Muslim community in battle, however, was
immeasurably less crucial than the Qurnic guidelines and recommendations that
followed it. The Muslims, at that time, were in desperate need of such guidance; they
needed it a thousand times more than they needed a military victory or the spoils of
war. The benefits of that result were even more important and enduring for later
Muslim generations. In short, there was a supreme Divine purpose behind the defeat
suffered by the Muslims. As far as we can ascertain from its outward natural causes,
what happened conforms to the normal pattern of things. The Muslims had, in
essence, the great privilege of learning from their experience, of gaining more
enlightenment and maturity, and of cleansing their ranks and reorganising and
coordinating their plans. The whole experience has proved immensely valuable for
later Muslim generations as well.
As soon as the battle on the ground was over, the Qurn moved to a wider arena,
the human soul and the whole life of the Muslim community. It goes on to mould the
community according to Gods will, knowledge and purpose. What God designed
for the Muslim community was achieved and it was all for their good, despite the
hardships, the travails and the trials and tribulations they experienced.
When discussing the aftermath of the Battle of Uud, the Qurn combines in a
remarkable way its review of the events, portrayal of the scenes of conflict, with its
pointed commentary and specific directives. These emanate from the events
themselves, and they advance specific exhortations and prescriptions for purifying
souls, clarifying concepts and freeing hearts and minds from the negative and dark
effects of desire, greed, hatred, guilt, negligence, and coveted aspirations.
What is even more interesting is how, while reviewing a military confrontation,
the srah goes on to discuss the evils of usury and the merits of consultation and
collective decision-making, or shr, despite the fact that at Uud it led to a
disappointing outcome. Furthermore, the srah deals in a vigorous and thorough
style with a wide range of human behaviour.
This richness, vitality and comprehensiveness come as no surprise to those who
are aware of the Divine method. In the dynamics of Islam, an armed confrontation is
not merely a clash of artillery, cavalrymen and fighters, nor does it involve pure
military planning alone. Rather, such a confrontation cannot be isolated from the
greater struggle that takes place inside human consciousness and in the social
organisation of the Muslim community. The physical battle is closely linked to the
purity and dedication of the human conscience and its freedom from the shackles
that darken its vision or prevent it from turning to God Almighty. Likewise, it is
firmly linked to the foundations and structure on which the life of the Muslim
community is organised, in accordance with Gods straight and sound order. The
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Divine way of life is built on mutual consultation in all aspects of life, not only in
matters of state and governance. It is based on a system of cooperation rather than
usury, and the two can never be part of the same structure.
The Qurn was addressing a Muslim community in the wake of a battle which, as
we have already pointed out, went far beyond a simple armed expedition. It was a
battle of wider extent and implication, for individuals as well as for life as a whole.
This is the reason for raising in this context subjects such as the condemnation of
usury, giving charitably at times of prosperity and need, obedience to God as a
condition for His mercy and generosity, the restraint of anger, kindness and the
purification from sin through appealing to God for forgiveness, and repentance as a
condition for gaining Gods pleasure and goodwill. The srah also talks of Gods
mercy as reflected in the benevolence of the Prophet Muammad and his kindness
towards others. Towards the end of the review, the srah establishes the principle of
mutual consultation, or shr, as necessary even at the most difficult of times; it
stresses honesty and sacrifice and warns against parsimony.
These aspects were all ingredients for raising and preparing the Muslim
community for the bigger and wider battle which included armed combat but which
was not restricted to it. It remains the battle for the greater prize: overcoming the
powers of self-interest, desire, greed and hatred, and establishing values and healthy
foundations for the total life of the community.
The object here is to highlight the integrity and the unity of the Islamic faith in
dealing with the human individual and all aspects of his behaviour and activity.
These should revolve around one fundamental principle: worship of, and submission
to, God with sensibility and full consciousness. The srah draws ones attention to the
consistency of Gods method in dealing with the totality of the human being in every
situation, and to the coherent and final outcome of human activity, and to the
influence of every move and every action on that outcome.
The all-ranging advice given here is not altogether removed from the context of
the battle. People do not triumph in war until they prevail in emotional, moral and
organisational struggles. Those who retreated at Uud were misled by Satan as a
result of some misdemeanour. We are reminded that those earlier communities
whose prophets led them to victory in battles of faith only triumphed because they
started their march with seeking Gods forgiveness and support and by cleansing
their hearts of all wrongdoing. To abandon usury and adopt an equitable financial
system is an essential preparation for victory. An equitable society is more likely to
prevail than an exploitative one. Suppression of ones anger and forgiving others are
essential for victory, because self-control, solidarity and kindness are highly potent
forces in a tolerant society.
159
Another fundamental tenet in this context is recognition of Gods will and the
attribution of all eventualities to His wish and command, a concept which this srah
defines clearly and decisively. In the meantime, it confirms Gods way of basing the
effect of peoples behaviour on the nature of their activities, whether right or wrong,
compliant or rebellious. People are no more than an image of Gods will and an
instrument of His command which He puts to whatever purpose He chooses.
Last, but not least, the srah impresses upon the Muslims the fact that victory is
not a matter for them to decide. It is up to Gods will which is translated through
their struggle, for which they will be rewarded. The material fruits of victory are not
theirs to reap, nor is victory granted to them for their own special gratification. It is
brought about for the sake of higher objectives decided by God Almighty. The same
applies to defeat, which is brought about in fulfilment of Gods will, pursuant to the
performance of the Muslim community and whether they discharged their
obligations or not. Defeat comes about to achieve certain purposes, predetermined by
God and known only to Him, to test people and purify their ranks, establish facts,
values and standards, and in order to reveal Gods laws for all to see.
Military, political or economic predominance has no value or weight, according to
Islam, unless it is based on the Divine way which requires the exercise of proper
control of personal desires and greed and the upholding of the way of life chosen by
God for mankind. Victory must be totally for God and His way, and every human
effort must be made for the sake of God and His cause. Otherwise, it is a triumph of
one godless group over another godless group, with no benefit for mankind or for
human life. Real advantage is gained only when the truth, the indivisible truth, of
Gods way prevails. There is no other truth in this world. But for this truth to prevail
it must conquer the human soul and the daily system of human life. This can only be
achieved when human beings conquer their own self-interest, desires, greed and
prejudice, when they break free from the chains of materialism and seek Gods
pleasure and put their trust fully in His hand. It happens when people do their
utmost to comply with Gods command in every aspect of their lives. Only then can a
military, economic or political victory be considered a real one, in Gods sight;
otherwise it is a godless victory that carries no weight or value whatsoever.
Thus, we are able to appreciate the approach of the srah in its appraisal of the
Battle of Uud and why it takes the wider view of the human struggle, of which the
battlefield represents only one aspect.
A Brief Account of the Battle of Uud
Before we go into the Qurnic review of the Battle of Uud, it is fitting to give a
brief account of the events of that battle, as recorded in the biographies of the
160
Prophet, in order to gain a better understanding of the Qurnic appraisal of the
battle and of Gods approach in educating and nurturing the Muslim community
through the Qurn.
The Muslims scored a total victory against the non-Muslim Arabs at Badr in the
second year of the Islamic calendar, 623 CE. That victory had the makings of a
miracle about it. The Quraysh lost its most eminent personalities and its leadership
fell to Ab Sufyn, who spared no effort in launching a revenge campaign. The trade
caravan carrying a substantial portion of the Qurayshs wealth, which had
precipitated the Badr confrontation in the first instance, escaped the fighting and it
was that wealth which the Arabs of the Quraysh used to finance the planned
retaliation.
Ab Sufyn was able to recruit around three thousand fighters from among the
Quraysh and their allies, the Absh (Abyssinians), who were accompanied by some
of their women so as to deter them from running away. The army left for Madinah in
the ninth month, Shawwl, of the third year of the Muslim calendar, and camped
near Mount Uud on the outskirts of Madinah.
The Prophet Muammad consulted with his people over whether they should
meet them outside the city or stay put inside. According to Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah,
in his biography of the Prophet, Muammads own view was to remain in the city
and fortify their defences around it; if the Arabs decided to enter, the Muslims could
engage them in the streets and the women could give support from the rooftops. He
was supported by Àbdullah ibn Ubayy [the chief of the hypocrites], but a large
number, mainly young men who did not attend Badr, insisted that they should go
and meet the enemy outside Madinah. As this view seemed to prevail, the Prophet
stood up and went to ìshahs room, donned his fighting attire, and emerged again
ready to move. By that time the people had changed their mind and decided that
they should not force the Prophet to leave the city. Some of them said: Messenger of
God, if you prefer you can stay in Madinah. His reply was: It does not befit a
prophet to take off his fighting attire once he has put it on until God decides the duel
between him and his enemies. That was the first lesson the Muslims were to learn:
once a collective decision has been arrived at by public consultation, there is no way
to go but forward. There is no room for dithering, re-consultation and indecision.
Things must be allowed to take their natural course and God will decide the
outcome.
Shortly prior to this, the Prophet saw in a dream that his sword was cracked, and
saw cows being slaughtered, and that he had put his hand inside a strong shield. He
interpreted the crack as someone from his household being hit, the cows as some of
his Companions being killed and the shield as the city of Madinah. He was,
therefore, aware of the outcome of the confrontation, but decided, nevertheless, to
161
comply with the consensus arrived at with his Companions. He was also educating
his followers through practical experience. Above all, he was submitting to Gods
will which in his heart he felt happy and contented to do.
The Prophet left the city with a thousand Muslims, leaving Ibn Umm Maktm in
charge of leading the prayer during his absence. When they were half-way between
Madinah and Uud, Àbdullh ibn Ubayy, and around one-third of the Muslim
contingent withdrew from the expedition, protesting that the Prophet had not
respected his views, and that he listened to the boys, so to speak. Àbdullh ibn Àmr
ibn arm, the father of Jbir ibn Àbdullh, went after the retreating company,
cursing, scolding, and urging them to rejoin the Muslim fighters. He called to them:
Come and fight for the cause of God or lend support. They replied: If we knew
that you would fight we would not have retreated. Eventually he gave up on them,
cursed them and rejoined the Muslim army.
Some of the Anr, i.e. Muslims from Madinah, asked if they could seek the
support of their Jewish allies, but the Prophet refused: the Jews had no part in the
confrontation between Islam and the idolaters. When one puts ones trust in God and
dedicates ones heart and soul to Him, victory will be granted. The Prophet asked his
Companions whether anyone of them could lead them closer to the Quraysh and this
some of the Anr did until the party came down the slope of the Valley of Uud
with the mountain to their backs. The Prophet asked his Companions not to start the
fighting until he had given the order.
The following morning, the Prophet marshalled around 700 men for battle,
including 50 cavalrymen and 50 archers under the command of Àbdullh ibn
Jubayr. The Prophet ordered Ibn Jubayr and his men to hold their positions behind
the main army and not to leave them no matter what happened, even if you see
birds picking up troops one by one. He ordered them to repel the Quraysh attackers
with their arrows so that they could not attack the Muslims from the rear.
The Prophet put on two layers of body armour and handed the standard over to
Musàb ibn Ùmayr. He placed Al-Zubayr ibn al-Àwwm on one flank and Al-
Mundhir ibn Àmr on the other. He surveyed the younger recruits and ordered those
he thought were under age to go back. These included Àbdullah ibn Àmr, Usmah
ibn Zaid, Usayd ibn ahr, al-Bar ibn `zib, Zaid ibn Arqam, Zaid ibn Thbit,
Ùrbah ibn Aws, and Àmr ibn izm. Those he allowed to remain with the troops
included Samurah ibn Jundub and Rfi ibn Khudayj who were both 15 years of age.
The Quraysh similarly mustered their troops, numbering around 3,000, and
including 200 horsemen, with Khlid ibn al-Wald in charge of the right flank and
Ìkrimah ibn Ab Jahl commanding the left one.
The Prophet gave his sword to Ab Dujnah Sammk ibn Kharshah, a brave
162
fighter who showed real enthusiasm for battle.
Old Loyalties Totally Disregarded
The first man to come forward from the Quraysh was Ab. `mir, known as the
Monk, but whom the Prophet nick-named the Transgressor. He was a leader of
the Aws tribe before Islam but he refused to accept Islam and declared open hostility
towards the Prophet. He had left Madinah to join the Quraysh in Makkah with the
aim of rallying them against the Muslims. He enticed the Makkans to go to war
against the Muslims, promising them the support of his tribe, the Aws, whom he said
would follow him as soon as they saw him. He was the first man to step into the
fighting arena, introduced himself and called over to his people among the Prophets
army to come over to his side. He was rejected and cursed. Declaring that some
evil had befallen his people, he went on to fight the Muslims with fanatical zeal.
Ab Dujnah, alah ibn Ùbayd Allah, amzah ibn Àbd al-Mualib, Àl ibn
Ab lib, al-Nar ibn Anas, Sa`d ibn al-Rab`, to mention but a few, showed
tremendous courage when the combat started.
In the early part of the day, the Muslims prevailed and 70 of the most valiant of
the Quraysh fell. The bulk of the Arab troops were scattered and ran back to where
the women were camped. The women lifted their dresses and themselves took flight.
As the Muslim archers saw the non-believers withdrawing, they abandoned their
assigned positions which the Prophet had ordered them never to leave. They were
shouting: The booty. The booty. Their commander ordered them back, recalling
the Prophets instructions, but they took no notice. They went after the loot leaving
the Uud positions undefended.
At that precise point, Khlid ibn al-Wald led the Makkan cavalry in a pincer
movement to occupy the Mount abandoned by the archers, so as to attack the
Muslims from the rear. When the fleeing Quraysh men saw Khlid and his troops
occupying the high ground, they rallied to join them.
The tables were turned. The Muslims went on the defensive and chaos broke out
all over the battlefield. The surprise attack from the Quraysh had thrown the
Muslims into disarray; they lost control and panicked. Many Muslims were killed in
what ensued and the Makkans were even able to get very close to the Prophet
himself who was being defended by a handful of followers. Although they fought
back bravely, all were killed. As for the Prophet, he sustained a wound to his face,
and a broken lower incisor. His helmet was shattered. A volley of stones was hurled
at him by the Makkans, causing him to fall on his side into a camouflaged ditch
which Ab `mir the Transgressor had dug to entrap the Muslims. Two metal
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rings from his visor pierced his cheek.
Amid this confusion, someone shouted: Muammad has been killed. Whatever
morale the Muslims had left was shattered and they were put to flight. Overcome
with despair and exhaustion, they were routed and soundly defeated.
As people moved back, some stayed behind, among them Anas ibn al-Nar. He
saw Ùmar ibn al-Khab, among other Muslims from both Makkah and Madinah,
looking dejected and despondent. He enquired why they were sitting there. When
they replied that it was because Muammad had been killed, he said: What is your
life worth after him, then? Get up and die for what he died for. He turned towards
the enemy camp and as he passed by Sa`d ibn Mu`dh, he said: Sa`d, how
wonderful is the scent of Paradise. I can smell it behind Mount Uud. He fought
until he was killed, with some seventy wounds to his body. Only his sister was able
to identify him, only by a mark on his finger.
The Prophet, however, was able to make his way back to the Muslims and the first
person to recognise him from behind his visor was Ka`b ibn Mlik who shouted at
the top of his voice: Muslims. Hear the good news. Here is the Messenger of God.
The Prophet gestured to him with his hand not to say any more, and the Muslims,
Ab Bakr, Ùmar and Al-rith ibn al-immah among them, flocked to him. He led
them towards and up the mountain pass. Then they were seen by Ubayy ibn Khalaf
on a horse called al-Àwd which he used to feed in Makkah, saying: I shall ride this
horse to kill Muammad. When the Prophet heard this he said, It is I who will kill
him, by Gods will. As Ubayy charged towards the Prophet aiming to fulfil his
intention, the Prophet took a lance from al-rith and threw it at Ubayy hitting him
in the collar bone, whereupon he fell down like a bull. The Prophet was sure the man
would never recover, as he had said, and he did indeed die on the way back to
Makkah.
Soon thereafter, Ab Sufyn, the Makkan chief, called from the top of the
mountain: Is Muammad among you? Muammad told his Companions not to
answer him, and he called again: Is Ibn Ab Qufah (Ab Bakr) among you? No
one answered. He called a third time: Is Ùmar ibn al-Khab among you? Having
received no answer, he turned to his own people and said: You need no longer
worry about these men. However, Ùmar could not restrain himself and called back:
You enemy of God, all the men you mentioned are still alive, and may God give you
more bad news. Ab Sufyn said: There has been mutilation among your dead. I
neither ordered it nor did it cause me any anger. This was a reference to what his
wife, Hind, had done to the body of amzah, the Prophets uncle, after her slave,
Wash, had killed him. She cut open his abdomen, pulled out his liver, chewed it
and then threw it from her mouth.
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Ab Sufyn then called upon the Makkan deity, saying: Rise and prevail, Hubal.
The Prophet urged his people to answer him, but they did not know what to say, and
he said: Say, God is higher and more exalted. Ab Sufyn retorted: We have al-
Ùzz and you do not. The Prophet said: Say to him, Allah is our Lord, and you
have none. Ab Sufyn said: Today avenges the day of Badr, and victory in war
goes by turns. Ùmar answered him, saying: We are not equal. Our dead go to
Paradise, but your dead go to Hell.
When the fighting subsided and the Makkans had departed, the Muslims were
nonetheless concerned that their enemies would head for Madinah, take their women
and children and loot their possessions. The Prophet, therefore, ordered Àl ibn Ab
lib to follow them to see which direction they followed and what their intention
was. He said if they dismounted the horses and rode the camels, they would be
going to Makkah; otherwise they would be going to Madinah. By God in whose
hand is my life, the Prophet said, if they go to Madinah I will go after them and
fight them inside it. Àl, however, reported that he had seen them dismount their
horses and ride their camels instead. They were moving in the direction of Makkah.
Somewhere along the way disagreement broke out among the Makkans. Some of
them argued that they had achieved very little at Uud. The Muslim high command
remained intact and they could easily regroup. Such contenders urged their people to
go back to Madinah to annihilate the Muslims. This news soon reached the Prophet
and he called his people to prepare to confront the enemy again, adding: Only those
who fought [on the preceding day] should join us. Àbdullh ibn Ubayy offered to
join the expedition but the Prophet declined his offer. Many Muslims willingly and
dutifully prepared themselves to go out to fight again, despite their wounds and
their apprehensions. Jbir ibn Àbdullh requested the Prophet to make an exception
in his case and allow him to join the army. He said: Messenger of God, I love to be
with you in every battle, but my father asked me to look after his daughters on the
day of Uud, and I ask you to let me join you this time. The Prophet granted him
permission and led the Muslims out in pursuit of the idolaters of the Quraysh. They
went as far as amr al-Asad, about 15 kilometres from Madinah.
A man by the name Ma`bad ibn Ab Ma`bad al-Khuz`, came to see the Prophet
who asked him to catch up with Ab Sufyns army and dissuade them from
launching any attack on the Muslims. Ma`bad caught up with Ab Sufyn at al-
Raw. Unaware that Ma`bad had converted to Islam, Ab Sufyn asked him: What
news have you? Ma`bad replied: Muammad has come out with his Companions
to pursue you with an army the like of which has not been seen before. Many of them
regretted staying behind the first time round. Ab Sufyn said: So what do you
think? Ma`bad replied: If you were to order your troops to march now, I would
imagine that by the time you have started to move, you will be seeing their horses.
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Ab Sufyn said: By God, we are determined to attack them and wipe them out.
Ma`bad answered: But I advise you against it. At that point Ab Sufyn led his
people back towards Makkah.
Ab Sufyn also met with some non-Muslims heading for Madinah and he offered
to load their camels with raisins when they returned to Makkah, if they would: Tell
Muammad from me that we are set to attack and wipe him and his Companions
out. When the Muslims heard the message, they said: God is all-sufficient for us.
He is the best protector. Their resolve still strong, they waited for three more days
and once they were certain that the unbelievers were well on their way to Makkah,
they returned to Madinah.
Glimpses of Muslim Dedication
This summary by no means covers all aspects of the battle or details all the
significant events of that day. As a complement, therefore, let us review some of the
more remarkable incidents of that memorable episode.
At the climax of the fighting, following the Muslim archers desertion of their
positions, the encirclement by the idolaters, the cry that Muammad had been
killed, and the outbreak of mayhem among the Muslims, Àmr ibn Qamah was
one of the unbelievers who managed to get close to the Prophet. In that bewildering
state of confusion, a lady called Nusaibah bint Ka`b al-Mziniyyah, also known as
Umm Ìmrah, was staunchly covering the Prophet. She hit Àmr ibn Qamah
several times with her sword, but he was well-protected by his two shields. In return,
he hit Nusaibah on her shoulder with his sword, seriously wounding her.
Ab. Dujnah was also shielding the Prophet. Despite the volley of arrows that
were hitting his back, he never wavered, all the while leaning over the Prophet.
At one point alah ibn Ubaid Allah rushed towards the Prophet and was the
only one defending him. He took that position until he fell. Ibn ibbn reports that
ìshah, the Prophets wife, related that her father, Ab Bakr said: When the
Prophet was left on his own at Uud, I was the first to go to him. I found a man
defending him and said, Let it be alah; let it be alah. Soon Ab Ùbaydah ibn
al-Jarr came flying like a bird towards me and we both rushed towards the
Prophet to find alah having fallen wounded. The Prophet asked us to take care of
him. The Prophet was hit by an arrow and two rings of his visor had found their way
into his cheek. I went to pull one of them out when Ab Ùbaydah pleaded with me
to let him pull it out. He grabbed the ring with his teeth and began to ease it out,
taking care not to hurt the Prophet. He was able to pull it out, but his own front tooth
came out. Then I went to pull the other ring out of the Prophets cheek, but Ab
Ùbaydah again pleaded with me to allow him to do it. He pulled it out carefully
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with his teeth and another of his front teeth fell out. The Prophet all the while urged
us to go and help alah who had been hit in more than ten places.
Àl ibn Ab lib was cleaning the Prophets wound with water and Fimah, his
wife and one of the Prophets daughters, was helping him. When she saw the blood
oozing out of the wound, she burnt straw and put it on the wound to ensure that the
bleeding stopped.
Mlik, father of Ab Sa`d al-Khudr, was sucking the blood out of the Prophets
wound to clean it. The Prophet urged him to spit it out, but he refused. The Prophet
used to point to Mlik and say: Whoever wants to look at a man from Paradise, let
him look at this man.
Muslim reports that, at Uud, the Prophet was left alone with seven of his
Companions from the Anr and two from the Quraysh. When his attackers
increased their pressure on him, he called: Who would defend me and go to
Paradise? One by one, the Anr men came forward, fought the unbelievers but
were themselves killed. Looking at them, the Prophet said: We have not been fair to
our Companions. Then alah fought hard to drive the enemy away from the
Prophet, and Ab Dujnah shielded him as we have already mentioned. The Prophet
was so exhausted that he was not even able to climb a rock on the mountain until
alah squatted to allow him to step over his back. When it was time for Prayer, he
led the Muslims in Prayer sitting down.
On that momentous day also, Hanalah al-Anr, nick-named al-Ghasl, attacked
Ab. Sufyn and managed to get a firm grip on him, Shaddd ibn al-Aswad,
however, dashed forward and killed Hanalah. Now when the Muslims were called
to go out and fight earlier that day, Hanalah was still in his wifes arms. He got up
immediately without taking the obligatory bath. This means that he was in the state
of ceremonial impurity, which required that he should take a bath or a shower. When
he was killed the Prophet told his Companions that the angels were washing him. He
asked them to find out from his wife why the angels should be doing this, and she
explained to them what had happened.
Zaid ibn Thbit related that, at Uud, the Prophet dispatched him to seek Sa`d ibn
al-Rab`. He found him in the throes of death, with seventy wounds on his body. He
said to him: Sa`d, the Messenger of God sends his greetings and is enquiring after
you. He replied: Give Gods Messenger my greetings and tell him that I can smell
the scent of Paradise. Tell my people, the Anr, that they shall have no excuse with
God if the Prophet comes to any harm and any of them is still alive. With these
words his soul departed.
A Makkan Muslim passed by one from Madinah bleeding profusely. He said to
him: Do you know that Muammad has been killed? The man replied: If he has,
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then he has fulfilled his mission, and you should fight for your religion.
Àbdullh ibn Àmr ibn arm said that, before Uud, he saw in a dream
Mubashshir ibn Àbd al-Mundhir saying to him: You will be visiting us within a
few days. Àbdullh asked him where he was, and he replied: In Paradise, where
we do as we like. Àbdullh then asked: But were you not killed at Badr?
Mubashshir replied: Indeed, but I was brought back to life. When Àbdullh
related his dream to the Prophet, he said to him: Ab Jbir, it is martyrdom.
Khaythamah, whose son was martyred at Badr, said that he had been eager to go
to Badr but had missed it because his son won the draw of lots and went with the
Muslim army, fighting at Badr until he fell a martyr. He said that in a dream he had
had the previous night he had seen his son, looking extremely handsome, strolling
around the trees and rivers of Paradise saying: Join our company in Paradise. I have
found what my Lord promised me to be true. He intimated to the Prophet his
burning desire to join his son, even though he was old and frail. He asked the
Prophet to pray to God to grant him martyrdom and the company of Said in
Paradise. The Prophet prayed for him and he died a martyr at Uud.
Àbdullh ibn Jash was heard that day, praying: God, I beg of You to let me
meet the enemies tomorrow, and let them kill me, cut open my abdomen and cut off
my nose and ears, so that when You ask me the reason, I can say, For Your sake.
Àmr ibn al-Jam was the father of four sons who used to go on military
expeditions with the Prophet. Despite his bad limp, he wanted to join the fighting at
Uud. His sons told him that God had granted him exemption. Hence, he did not
have to go. He went to the Prophet to protest: My sons are preventing me from
going out to fight with you. By God, I pray to God that I am martyred and that, with
this very limp, I would walk in Paradise. The Prophet told him that God had
exempted him from fighting on account of his lameness, but he then turned to his
sons and said: Why should you not let him go out to fight? God may indeed grant
him martyrdom. He fought at Uud and died a martyr.
In the heat of battle, udhayfah ibn al-Yamn saw some Muslim fighters going to
attack his father, not knowing who he was, and thinking him to be one of the
unbelievers. He called out to them that the man was his father but they did not
understand what he was saying and they killed him. udhayfah asked for
forgiveness for those Muslims. The Prophet offered to pay his ransom but
udhayfah declined, saying that he would give it as a gift to the Muslims. In this
way, the Prophet would think even more highly of udhayfah from then on.
Describing the fall of amzah, the Prophets uncle, at Uud, Wash, a slave
belonging to Jubayr ibn Mutìm, related that Jubayr offered him his freedom if he
were to kill amzah. Being an Ethiopian, he was skilled in throwing the spear and,
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he said, he rarely missed. When the fighting started he went round looking for
amzah until he saw him lashing out with his sword like an angry camel, nothing
barring his way. Wash stalked him, hiding behind trees and rocks, so as to get as
near to him as possible. Suddenly, he saw someone else aiming to strike amzah, but
amzah raised his sword and struck a mighty blow, cutting his head off. Wash
said he raised his spear, took aim and hit amzah in the belly until it came out in
between his legs. He staggered towards Wash but collapsed before he could get to
him. Wash said that he left him to die before he went to retrieve his spear and
return to camp where he sat down, because he was the only one I wanted to kill,
and I only killed him to be set free.
Hind, daughter of Ùtbah and wife of Ab. Sufyn, then went and opened
amzahs abdomen, pulled out his liver and began to chew it. When she could not
swallow it she spat it out.
When the fighting subsided and the Prophet saw amzahs body, he stood next to
him and, deeply overcome with grief, said: I shall suffer no greater loss than this
one. I have never been so angry as I am at this moment. Then he asked whether
Hind had eaten any of amzahs liver and was told that she had not, and so he said:
God would not take any part of amzahs body to Hell.
The Prophet ordered that the martyrs of Uud be buried where they fell, rather
than be taken back to the cemetery in Madinah. Some people had already removed
their dead, but when they heard the announcement they took them back to Uud
and buried them there. The Prophet supervised the burials, with two and three
bodies interred in the same grave. He would enquire which of the dead had been
more versed in the Qurn and he gave that person precedence. Àbdullh ibn Àmr
ibn arm and Àmr ibn al-Jam were buried together as they were known to have
been very close friends. The Prophet said: Bury them together; they loved each
other when they were alive.
Treatment of the Battle Events in the Qurn
These are some glimpses from the battlefield of a confrontation that oscillated
between victory and defeat, separated only by a passing disobedience or a fleeting
neglect of duty. Uud witnessed the highest of the high and the lowest of the low,
and saw unique examples of bravery and courage as well as of hypocrisy and
defeatism.
The overall picture reflects a lack of cohesion and inconsistency among the
Muslims and a state of confusion and haziness in some of their minds. As was Gods
will, the situation led to a bitter outcome and heavy sacrifices for the Muslims. The
most serious of these was the wounding of the Prophet himself, which must have
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been extremely painful and distressing for his companions. Thus they paid a heavy
price, but they learnt a most profound lesson. God wanted to test their hearts and
cleanse their ranks. He also wished to prepare their community for the greater
mission of leading humankind and establishing His order on earth in its most perfect
but realistic form.
Let us now see how the Qurn, in its unique style, tackled the situation. The
Qurnic text does not relate the events of battle in sequence, but traces what goes on
inside the hearts and minds of the participants. Events and incidents are used as
material for clarification and guidance.
The aim is not to give a chronological account of what took place, but rather to
identify and discern lessons, morals and values that lie beyond the events for the
purpose of education and enlightenment. The Qurn perceives the emotions and
apprehensions that outline the prevailing mood and it introduces the basic Divine
laws and principles that relate to it. The events, therefore, become a basis or pivotal
points for a wealth of feelings, features, conclusions and inferences around which the
whole discourse revolves. The Qurn explores the intricacies of the human
conscience and human life. This pattern is repeated again and again, eventually
providing a full account of events. The narration, in fact, is no more than a vehicle, or
a means, to focus the arguments and to understand clearly the effect of those events
upon the human conscience. In this way, one finds no difficulty in appreciating what
happened, nor experiences any confusion as to its causes or objectives.
It is also clear that the Qurnic discussion of the events of the day is much more
comprehensive and effective than any simple account of what took place. The
discussion has a formidable impact on our hearts and minds, and it is more satisfying
to our human needs of learning and understanding and our sense of curiosity. It is
also more valuable for the Muslim community, when it comes to facing similar
situations, because it presents facts, principles and values that endure beyond the
transient events themselves. It carries solid benefits that transcend considerations of
time and space.
This eternal wealth of ideals and standards the Qurn offers to every heart that is
open to faith, anywhere and at all times. Let us now look at the Qurnic text in more
detail.
Preparation for Battle
Remember when you set out from your home at an early hour to assign the believers to
their battle posts. God hears all and knows all. Two of your groups were about to lose
heart, but God was their protector. In God shall the believers trust. (Verses 121-2)
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This is the opening scene, recalled in all its reality and vigour whilst still fresh and
clear in the minds of those being so addressed. The srah, however, brings into focus
other factors that were not visible at the time. First, Gods presence and knowledge of
all that was going on. The Qurn always impresses this fact upon the Muslims so as
to reinforce in their hearts a clearer and deeper faith and understanding. It is the
major and most fundamental facet of the Islamic system and no one can claim a full
understanding of this religion without it being firmly established in both their
conscience and their mind.
Remember when you set out from your home at an early hour to assign the believers to
their battle posts. God hears all and knows all. (Verse 121) This is a reference to the
Prophet setting out from ìshahs home, having donned his battle dress, consulted
with his Companions and all of them having arrived at the consensus that the
Muslims should go and meet the enemy outside Madinah. The Prophet went on to
organise the Muslim troops, including the archers, assigning them duties and
positions around the battlefield. But the srah also introduces a new fact: God hears
all and knows all. What a momentous event. God Almighty was witnessing the
proceedings. How awesome! God was witnessing the consultation and was aware of
what was going on inside the hearts and minds of all those present.
The other dimension, however, is that some Muslim hearts vacillated. This was a
result of the treachery perpetrated by the leader of the hypocrites, Àbdullh ibn
Ubayy ibn Sall. Enraged by the Prophets acceptance of the views of his
Companions, in preference to his own view, Àbdullh ibn Ubayy broke away with
one-third of the Muslim fighting force, refusing to join the expedition. Having said,
as the srah puts it: If we know for sure that there will be fighting we will come with you,
(Verse 167) Àbdullh ibn Ubayy had demonstrated that his heart did not fully
accept Islam and that his self-importance was in control of him. Islam demands total
dedication and does not tolerate sharing a mans heart with other beliefs.
Two of your groups were about to lose heart, but God was their protector. In God shall the
believers trust. (Verse 122) According to authentic reports, the two groups were the
tribes of rithah and Salamah, who were influenced by Àbdullh ibn Ubayys
stance. They wavered, struggled with doubt, but, as the srah affirms, God came to
their rescue and gave them heart to stay and fight.
Ùmar ibn al-Khatb reported that he heard Jbir ibn Àbdullh say that this
verse referred to his people, adding: But I am not disconcerted about that because
God says, God was their protector. (Related by Al-Bukhr and Muslim.)
God reveals here some of peoples inner thoughts and feelings, which only they
and He know. It is He who steers them away from those negative feelings and gives
them the courage to go ahead and fight. The Qurn recalls the scene, revives the
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emotions, and reassures the Muslims that God heard and knew all that had taken
place, that He was with them all the way. It demonstrates to them that God is
looking after them and helping them in their moments of weakness, so that they
learn from where to seek help and support the next time they face a similar situation.
It directs them to the only certain way: In God shall the believers trust. In God alone,
and in no one else, should the believers put their trust, for, they shall have no other
resort.
Hence, in the very first two verses of this section, two major tenets of Islam are
established: God hears all and knows all, and In God shall the believers trust. They are
presented at the correct moment and in the right context, blending perfectly together
in rhythm and in nuance, at the very moment when hearts are receptive and ready to
learn and understand. Here, then, we also have a good example of the way the
Qurn deals with events while they are still live, fresh and relevant. Here, we can
also see the difference between the Qurnic method of relating and interpreting
events and other methods that do not aim to touch the human heart or direct,
educate and guide human beings.
A Reminder of Past Victory
The srah takes up the discussion of the battle in which, though they were close to
victory, the Muslims did not prevail. It begins with a reference to the hypocrite
Àbdullh ibn Ubayy and his followers, who put their own selfish interests ahead of
the interests of the faith. It alludes to the two Muslim groups who almost lost heart
and withdrew, and concludes with the archers desertion of their positions, driven by
greed in pursuit of booty. The exemplary conduct of some Muslims on the battlefield
did not spare the Muslim camp the final and dismal outcome. This was the result of
flaws in their ranks and confusion in their thinking.
Before the srah goes on to analyse and review the events of Uud, however, the
Muslims are reminded of their victory at the Battle of Badr. This provides them with
the opportunity to compare the two situations and to reflect on the root causes and
results of both victory and defeat, as also on their own weaknesses and strengths.
They have to realise that victory and defeat are the result of Divine providence,
brought about for a specific, predetermined purpose. They have to believe that, after
all, everything is in Gods hands in all circumstances. The srah says in this respect:
God gave you victory at Badr when you were utterly weak. Therefore fear God, that
you may have cause to be grateful. You said to the believers: Is it not enough for you
[to know] that your Lord should send down three thousand angels to support you?
Indeed, He will, if you are patient in adversity and fear God, and if they [the non-
believers] suddenly attack you, your Lord will supply you with five thousand angels

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swooping down. God made this only as a happy news for you, so that your hearts
might take comfort from it. Victory comes only from God, the Mighty, the Wise. It is
in order to destroy some of the non-believers, and so abase others that they lose and
withdraw. You have no say in the matter. [It is for Him] to accept their repentance or
punish them. They are wrongdoers. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the
earth; He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. God is Forgiving and
Merciful. (Verses 123-9)
The victory the Muslims scored at Badr had a hint of miracle about it. There were
certainly no conventional reasons behind it, especially when one considers that the
two sides were not equally balanced. There were around one thousand men on the
side of the idolaters assembled to rescue Ab. Sufyn and his caravan. They were
well equipped and strongly motivated by the wish to save their wealth and defend
their pride. The Muslims, on the other hand, numbered little over three hundred men
who had left Madinah in pursuit of the caravan and with no intention or preparation
for fighting. Furthermore, they were very poorly equipped. Back in Madinah, there
were still many who had not converted to Islam, some powerful hypocrites, and
Jews awaiting the right moment to strike at the Muslims. The Muslims themselves
represented a small island in a vast sea of hostility throughout Arabia. Most of them
were new immigrants from Makkah, people who had hardly had time to settle down
in their new environment.
The srah reminds the Muslims of all these facts and explains to them the real
reason for their triumph at Badr. God gave you victory at Badr when you were utterly
weak. Therefore fear God, that you may be grateful. (Verse 123)
It was God Who brought them victory, and for a purpose shortly to be revealed.
They had no other helper or patron, and it is He Whom they should fear and
consider. He has the power and authority to grant them victory or leave them to be
vanquished. Perhaps if they were to fear God they might learn to thank Him
properly and appreciate the favour He bestows on them.
After this opening stroke, the srah goes on to recall some scenes from Badr itself.
You said to the believers: Is it not enough for you [to know] that your Lord should
send down three thousand angels to support you? Indeed, He will, if are patient in
adversity and fear God, and if they [the non-believers] suddenly attack you, your Lord
will supply you with five thousand angels swooping down. (Verses 124-5)
These were the comforting words the Prophet conveyed to the Muslims when they
embarked on their expedition to intercept the caravan, not knowing they would be
confronting a formidable fighting force. He conveyed to them the good news of
Gods support to reassure their hearts and give them strength. He also told them the
condition on which that support would be given: that they should persevere and rise
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to the challenge of the enemy, and fear God and be mindful of Him at all times.
Indeed, He will, if you are patient in adversity and fear God, and if they [the non-
believers] suddenly attack you, your Lord will supply you with five thousand angels
swooping down. (Verse 125)
Then God imparts the fact that everything happens as a result of His will and
wisdom. God is the power behind all events. The angels were dispatched to assist the
Muslims and lend them moral as well as material support. Victory is determined by
God Almighty and results from His will without intervention from anyone or any
other cause or means. God made this only as a happy news for you, so that your hearts
might take comfort from it. Victory comes only from God, the Mighty, the Wise. (Verse
126)
The Qurn makes this point very strongly so as not to leave any doubt
whatsoever in the minds of the Muslims. All things happen by Gods absolute,
unrestricted, effective and direct will. Causes and reasons cease to have any effect
and become mere tools in the hands of God Who employs and operates them
according to His will and command. The Qurn emphasises this concept in such a
forceful way as to maintain that direct link between the believer and His Lord and to
make the believers heart always conscious of Gods limitless, unhampered will.
With these repeated directives and exhortations, the Qurn emphasises this
important fact in a wonderfully gentle, yet profound and enlightened manner.
The believers were made aware that God alone is the cause of everything. They
realised that they were obliged to strive by all means to live up to their commitments.
They understood the message and complied with the Divine instructions and thus
achieved the most effective balance between the two. This was only achieved over a
period of time and after numerous experiences and events, and with constant
direction and education, as we see in this srah.
In this passage, the Qurn recalls the scenes at Badr as the Prophet promises the
Muslims that God will support them with the angels if they would only fear Him,
show patience and live up to the conditions of battle when they meet the idolaters.
He then identifies the real power behind that action as God to Whose will everything
is subjected and with Whose leave victory is achieved. He is the Mighty with the
power to achieve victory, and He is the Wise Whose will decides that victory.
Then the srah explains the purpose behind that victory, pointing out that the way
God deals with the unbelievers is of no concern to any human being: It is in order to
destroy some of the non-believers, and so abase others that they lose and withdraw. You have
no say in the matter. [It is for Him] to accept their repentance or punish them. They are
wrongdoers. (Verses 127-8)
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Victory is granted by God for a particular purpose. Neither the Prophet nor the
Muslim fighters had any say in that purpose or any personal interest in it.
Furthermore, they had no part in achieving it, but were the instruments of the Divine
will. They are neither the causes behind, nor the makers of victory; they have no
claim to it nor can they exploit it. It is the will of God achieved through His servants,
with His support for a particular purpose He has predetermined.
It is in order to destroy some of the non-believers, or so abase others that they lose and
withdraw. You have no say in the matter. [It is for Him] to accept their repentance or punish
them. They are wrongdoers. God will punish the idolaters by granting the believers
victory over them, or by making them fall captive in Muslim hands, or by letting
them die without having the privilege of becoming believers. This would be the
punishment for their disbelief, their hostility towards the Muslim community, their
perpetration of corruption, and their opposition to Islam and its way of life.
That, in any case, is Gods judgement, and no one can influence it, not even the
Prophet Muammad himself. It is His sole, unshared prerogative, as the one God of
all creation.
Thus the Muslims, as individuals, have no influence over this victory, its causes or
results. They are, therefore, free of all the feelings of arrogance and self-delusion
usually associated with military victories. They truly feel that they had no hand in
their victory and that it was all up to Gods Divine will and power.
The Qurn assigns the destiny of all people, believers or unbelievers, to Gods
will. The fate and future of Islam, and those who accept or reject it are determined by
God. The Prophet and his followers can only fulfil their obligations and leave the
outcome to God. They will receive their just reward, for their loyalty and the efforts
they make in support of Gods cause.
But there was another reason for stating the principle: You have no say in the
matter. The srah tells us that some people were wondering: Have we any say in the
matter? ...Had we had any say in the matter, we should not have been slaughtered here.
(Verse 154) The object is to make it clear to the Muslims that they had nothing to do
with bringing about victory or defeat. All they are required to do is obey, comply and
act accordingly. The result is entirely up to God and no body else, not even the
Prophet Muammad. It is of supreme importance that this concept is firmly and
clearly established in Muslim hearts and minds.
This reminder of what happened at Badr, and the accompanying admonition, are
complemented with a more universal and fundamental truth: the destiny of the
whole cosmos is in the hands of God, He forgives and punishes people as He wills.
To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth; He forgives whom He wills and
punishes whom He wills. God is Forgiving and Merciful. (Verse 129)
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His will and power are absolute and stem from His absolute possession and
control of everything. By virtue of this universal ownership, God has the total and
complete right to do as He pleases with peoples lives and destinies. There is no
injustice or partiality in the way He allots forgiveness and punishment. He decides
with care and compassion, equitably and wisely because God is Forgiving and
Merciful.
The doors are wide open to Gods servants to win His forgiveness and mercy.
They should place their trust and confidence in Him, put their destiny in His hands,
fulfil their commitments and obligations, and leave everything else to His judgement
and His absolute will and power that lie behind every cause and every result.
A Comprehensive Outlook
Before the srah moves on to refer specifically to the Battle of Uud, we have a
short passage of seven verses which speak about usury and its transactions, obeying
God and His Messenger, spending money in Gods cause at times of prosperity and
adversity, the Islamic co-operative system as opposed to the evil usurious system,
controlling ones anger, forgiving other peoples mistakes, praying to God for
forgiveness and turning to Him in repentance when a mistake is committed.
These directives are given immediately before the discussion of the military
confrontation by way of implicit reference to a basic characteristic of the Islamic faith.
Islam is a single and comprehensive system which caters for every aspect of human
life and makes every human activity revolve around one essential value, namely,
submission to God as represented by worshipping Him alone and dedicating
everything in human life to Him. In every sphere of human life, we must first make
sure of what God bids us and willingly do His bidding. The fact that these
instructions are so grouped together in the srah is a clear reference to the fact that all
aspects of human activity are mutually interdependent, and their interdependence
has a considerable effect on the total sum of human activity.
The Islamic system deals with man as a whole entity. It organises the whole life of
the Muslim community in a totally comprehensive way which it considers preferable
to anything piecemeal. It is in this light that we should view this combination of
preparation for a military engagement on the one hand, and the purification of souls
and hearts, controlling desires and spreading love and friendliness within the
community, on the other. All these aspects have mutual effects on one another. When
we discuss them in detail, taking each directive individually we are bound to
recognise their essential role in the life of the Muslim community and their bearing
on the power and the potentials of that community on the battlefield as in all spheres
of life.

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Usury: The Way to Inevitable Ruin
Believers, do not gorge yourselves on usury, doubling (your money] again and again.
Have fear of God, so that you may prosper. Guard yourselves against the Fire which
has been prepared for the unbelievers; and obey God and the messenger, that you may
be graced with mercy. (Verses 130-2)
We have discussed the subject of usury in detail in our commentary on verses 275-
81 of srah 2, entitled al-Baqarah, or The Cow. Here we will only briefly comment on
the subject of multiplication of the principal sum of a loan. Some people in our
modern times want to manipulate this verse in order to make lawful what God has
forbidden. They say that the prohibition is limited only to excessive usury which
leads to the multiplication of the principal amount of money time after time. They
further claim that rates of interest of 4, 5, 7 or 9 per cent and similar rates do not lead
to any such multiplication. Hence, they argue, they are not included in the
prohibition of usury.
Let us begin by stating clearly that the reference to multiples is simply a
description of something that was happening in life. It is not a condition for the
prohibition to operate. The Qurnic statement in srah 2, The Cow, makes a clear
prohibition of all usury. It addresses the believers and bids them give up what
remains outstanding of usury. (2: 278) It applies to all that exceeds the principal
amount, without qualification.
Now that we have established this principle, we have a word to say about its
description. It is in fact not a description of the usurious transactions which took
place in the Arabian peninsula at a particular point in history. It is a description of
the horrid system of usury per se, regardless of the rate of interest. When a financial
system is based on usury it makes the financial cycle revolve around it. We have to
remember that usurious transactions are neither single, isolated transactions nor
simple ones. They are both repetitive and compounded. When we add the element of
time to these two aspects we find that they inevitably lead to the multiplication of the
principal amount time after time.
By its very nature, the usury system leads to such multiplication. The description
here is not, therefore, limited to transactions known in Arabia at the time of the
revelation of this verse. It is characteristic of this system at all times.
This system inevitably leads to the corruption of the moral and psychological life
of society inasmuch as it corrupts its financial and political life. It has, therefore, a
definite and clear influence on the community and all its members.

177
As Islam began to mould the Muslim community, it was keen to ensure a pure
psychological and moral life for it, as well as a sound and healthy financial and
political basis. The effect of these elements on the battles fought by the Muslim
community is well known. Hence, the inclusion of the prohibition of usury within
the Qurnic commentary on the Battle of Uud is readily understood in the context
of this complete system. This prohibition is also coupled with an order to fear God in
the hope of achieving prosperity, and to guard against hell, the fire prepared for the
unbelievers. This is again a most fitting comment. No one who fears God and fears
the fire prepared for the unbelievers will gorge himself on usury. No one who
believes in God and removes himself from the ranks of unbelievers will ever think of
making profit through usury. To believe in God is not simply a word we utter; it is a
conscientious following of a system which God has devised in order to be a practical
translation of our faith. Believing in God is simply the introduction for this
implementation and for shaping the life of the community according to Islamic
directives and commands.
It is impossible in any case for faith and usury to exist side by side. Wherever
usury is adopted as a system the faith of Islam, as a whole, does not exist. There can
only be the fire which has been prepared for the unbelievers. Any argument against
this is simply futile. The fact that these verses combine the express prohibition of
usury with calling on the believers to fear God and guard against the Fire is not a
mere coincidence. It is made in order to establish this fact clearly in the minds of
Muslims. It is also made in the hope of achieving prosperity through abandoning
usury and maintaining fear of God. For prosperity is the natural outcome of fearing
God and implementing the Divine method in human life. We have already discussed
the catastrophic effects of usury on human society. We have only to remind ourselves
of these catastrophic effects in order to recognise the meaning of prosperity in this
context, and the fact that it is made conditional on abandoning this hateful system.
The final comment here is given in these words: ... Obey God and the messenger,
that you may be graced with mercy This is a general command to obey God and His
Messenger which makes mercy conditional on this obedience. As it is given,
however, in the form of a comment on the prohibition of usury, it acquires a special
significance: God and His Messenger cannot be obeyed in any society which adopts a
system of usury. No one who accepts usury in any shape or form is obedient to God
and His Messenger. This comment, then, serves as further emphasis to the
prohibition.
Moreover, this order is particularly relevant to the events of the battle in which the
commands of the Prophet were disobeyed. It re-emphasises this obedience as the
means to achieve prosperity and benefit by Gods mercy.

178
A Reward Worth Competing For
Hasten, all of you, to the achievement of your Lords forgiveness, and a paradise as
vast as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the God-fearing, who spend [in His
way] in time of plenty and in time of hardship, and restrain their anger, and forgive
their fellow men. God loves the benevolent. (Verses 133-4)
The prohibition of usury is stated more comprehensively and in greater detail in
the preceding srah al-Baqarah, or The Cow. In our discussion of those verses in
Volume I, we noted that when the srah states the prohibition of usury, it also speaks
highly of voluntary charity since the two represent opposite approaches to social
relations within the economic system.
They are the most prominent characteristics of two diametrically opposed
systems: the one based on usury the other on the cooperative system. Here again we
find that the prohibition of usury is followed by an emphasis on the virtue of
voluntary spending at times of prosperity and hardship alike.
These verses make a definitive prohibition of all usury, warn the believers against
the Fire which is prepared for the unbelievers and call on them to always fear God in
the hope of being granted His mercy and of achieving prosperity. This is
immediately followed with an order to hasten to the achievement of Gods
forgiveness and admission into paradise, which is described as being as vast as the
heavens and the earth. We are told that this paradise has been prepared for the God
fearing.
The first quality given here of this class of people is that they spend [in His way] in
time of plenty and in time of hardship. They are, then, a class of people which is totally
different from those who gorge themselves on usury and multiply their money by no
effort of their own. Their other qualities are also defined: Hasten, all of you, to the
achievement of your Lords forgiveness, and a paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth,
prepared for the God fearing, who spend [in His way] in time of plenty and in time of
hardship, and restrain their anger, and forgive their fellow men. God loves the benevolent.
Those who, when they commit a gross indecency or wrong themselves, remember God and
pray for the forgiveness of their sins for who but God can forgive sins? (Verses 133-5)
The style adopted here describes the fulfilment of these duties in a physical
movement representing a race towards a certain goal and for a set prize. The prize is
forgiveness by God and admission to heaven. It is there to be won, and the believers
are invited to make their race and vie with one another in order to win. The prize is
set for those who fear God. These have certain qualities which are outlined in the
next two verses: they spend their money at all times for the sole reason of earning
Gods pleasure. They are, then, consistent in their attitude. They follow the way

179
which pleases God, unchanged either by prosperity or adversity. When money
comes to them in plenty, they are not preoccupied with luxurious living. When they
suffer hardship and adversity, their sorrow does not become their major
preoccupation. They are conscious of their duty at all times and in all situations.
They are free from miserliness and greed. They watch God and fear Him. Man loves
money and he is always reluctant to part with his money. Nothing makes him spend
his money voluntarily in all situations except a motive far stronger than that of
possession and self-interest. That motive is the fear of God. It is a pleasant, profound
feeling which works on mans soul so that it becomes free, unfettered by greed and
personal desire.
The emphasis laid on this characteristic has particular relevance to the Battle of
Uud. Reference to spending in the srah is made several times and in the same way
as the repeated condemnation of those who refuse to come forward with their money
for the cause of God.
They restrain their anger, and forgive their fellow men. Fearing God also works in
this respect, providing similar motives and leaving similar effects. Anger is a human
reaction which is normally combined with or followed by a fit of temper. It is both
natural and essential to man. However, it can only be overcome through that higher
perception made possible by the positive effects of fearing God and the spiritual
strength which man achieves through looking up to horizons which are far superior
and more sublime than mans own needs and interests.
Restraining anger is only the first stage; it is not sufficient on its own. A person
may restrain his anger but harbour a grudge. His outward fury becomes a deeply-
seated, inward rancour. Needless to say, anger and fury are preferable to harbouring
grudges and rancour. The Qurnic verse emphasises that the God-fearing do not
allow their anger to become a grudge. They forgive others and do not harbour any ill
feelings. When anger is deliberately restrained it becomes a burden, a fire which
burns internally sending its smoke over mans conscience in order to blur his vision.
Forgiveness, however, ensures a release from that burden. It gives peace of heart and
conscience, as well as an easy movement in a more sublime world.
God loves the benevolent. Those who spend their money at times of prosperity and
hardship are benevolent. Similarly, those who do not hesitate to forgive others after
having been angered by them are also benevolent. The Qurnic verse tells us that
God loves all who are benevolent. Use of the term love here is significant. Its
pleasant, friendly, bright and compassionate shades are in perfect harmony with the
pleasant and honourable atmosphere of help and forgiveness.
Because God loves the benevolent and the good turns they do, those who love
God also love to be benevolent. They have the best of all motives. The final comment

180
is, then, not only an inspiring description, it is a statement of fact.
The community which enjoys Gods love and, in turn, loves God and in which
forgiveness replaces anger and rancour is a strong, brotherly and closely-knit
community. We see here how this directive is clearly relevant to both the military
battle and to the battle of life.
Man: Saint or Sinner
Those who, when they commit a gross indecency or wrong themselves, remember God
and pray for the forgiveness of their sins for who but God can forgive sins? and
do not knowingly persist in doing the wrong they may have done. These shall have the
reward of forgiveness by their Lord, and gardens underneath which rivers flow, where
they shall abide. Excellent is the reward for those who labour [well]. (Verses 135-6)
Another quality of the God-fearing is highlighted here. They are those who seek
forgiveness whenever they slip into sin and make sure of not knowingly disobeying
Gods orders. How compassionate this religion is. Before He calls on people to be
compassionate to one another, God, limitless is He in His glory, shows them one
aspect of His own compassion of which they themselves are the recipients, so that
they may learn.
In Islamic terminology, the God-fearing are among the elite of believers. Gods
compassion and mercy, however, include among them those who remember God
after committing a gross indecency or who wrong themselves and pray to Him for
forgiveness of their sins. The term gross indecency includes the most ghastly of all
sins. This religion of ours, however, is so tolerant that it neither considers those who
sink to its depth as outcasts, nor deprives them of Gods mercy. They are not even
given the bottom rank among the believers. Rather, they are elevated to the rank of
the elite, the God-fearing, on one condition only. That condition is that they should
remember God and pray to Him to forgive their sins, that they should not persist
with their wrongdoing, knowing that it is sinful, and that they should not
unashamedly boast about the sins they have committed. In other words, they should
remain within the framework of servitude to God and ultimate submission to Him.
By doing so, they remain entitled to His forgiveness, mercy and bounty.
Islam recognises mans weakness. Man may always succumb to his physical
desires which may bring him down to the depths of gross indecency. His lust,
ambitions or temptations may cause him to lose-- control and drive him to
disobedience of God. Recognising this weakness in man, Islam does not adopt harsh
punishments, rejecting a sinner altogether and depriving him of Gods mercy when
he wrongs himself by committing a gross indecency. In the Islamic view there is

181
something important to add to his credit which is the fact that the light of faith has
not been put out altogether in his soul. His heart is not totally hardened, his
relationship with God is still alive and he knows that he is merely a servant who slips
and makes mistakes, and that he has a Lord who forgives. This weak, sinful creature,
then, remains essentially good. He clings to his bond with God and lie does not sever
it. He may, then, slip as many times as his weakness imposes on him. Eventually, he
will get there, as long as he holds to his bond with God and keeps the light of faith
within him. He must always remember God, pray to Him for forgiveness and
acknowledge his submission to Him and refrain from boasting about his sins.
Never does Islam slam the door in the face of a weak sinner leaving him lost in the
wilderness. Never does it let him feel permanently rejected, afraid to turn back. On
the contrary, it holds for him the prospect of forgiveness. It shows him the way and
holds his trembling hand, steadying him and giving him the light he needs to return
to his secure refuge. It only requires one thing of him, namely, that his heart and soul
are not so hardened so as to make him forget God. As long as he remembers God and
keeps alive in his conscience the voice of guidance and maintains in his heart the
yearning for Gods grace, then light will shine again in his soul and the seed of faith
will burst forth with a new plant.
When your misbehaving son who has run away knows that nothing awaits him at
home except flogging, he will never return. But if he knows that there is also a tender
hand which will pat his shoulder when he apologises for his misdeeds and which
excuses him when he asks for pardon, he will certainly come back.
Islam knows that side by side with mans weaknesses and carnal desires there
exist strength and sublime aspirations. For this reason, Islam is sympathetic to man
in his moment of weakness, places him back on his way to a higher horizon, as long
as he remembers God and does not knowingly persist with his wrongdoing. The
Prophet says: He who prays for forgiveness does not persist with his sin, even if he
commits it 70 times a day. (Related by Ab Dwd and Al-Tirmidh.) In doing so,
Islam does not advocate complacency, nor does it praise the one who frequently slips
or who describes sinful actions as beautiful, as those who call themselves realists
do. It simply overlooks such errors in order to awaken both hope and a sense of
shame within man. Forgiveness by God, the only One to forgive sins, does not lead
to complacency; it fills the sinner with shame. Only those who persist and pay no
heed remain outcasts. Thus, Islam combines its call to man to aspire to a higher
horizon with its mercy and compassion, knowing mans weakness and capability. It
ensures that the door of hope is always open in front of man as it motivates him to
exert his utmost in his aspiration towards the sublime.
What is the reward of those God-fearing people? These shall have the reward of
forgiveness by their Lord, and gardens underneath which rivers flow, where they shall abide.

182
Excellent is the reward for those who labour [well]. (Verse 136)
When people pray for forgiveness of their sins, and spend their money in times of
prosperity and hardship, and when they control their anger and forgive others, they
do not take a negative attitude. Indeed, they are good workers.
Excellent is the reward for those who labour well. That reward is forgiveness and
Paradise. The work of those people has two aspects: an internal one in their own
souls and an external one in practical life. Both are fruitful.
All these characteristics of the God-fearing are relevant to the battle which the
srah discusses. In the same way as the Islamic financial system based on cooperation
has its effects on the life of the Muslim community and its bearing on the military
battle, so these personal and communal qualities have their bearing on that to which
we referred earlier. When individuals triumph over their love of money, their anger
and their sin and return to God in repentance praying for His forgiveness and
pleasure they only do what is necessary to triumph over their enemies on the
battlefield. Their enemies only have that status because they represent niggardliness,
caprice, sin and boastfulness. They do not submit themselves or their desires or their
lifestyle to God and the Divine Law. It is because of this that enmity rises, battles
flare up and strenuous efforts, i.e. jihd, are made. There is no other reason for a
Muslim to stand in opposition to anyone or to fight him. He only fights for Gods
sake.
The link is, then, very close between these directives and the commentary on the
military battle as well as certain aspects of that battle, such as the disobedience of
some Muslims of an express order given by the Prophet, and which stemmed from
their keenness to share in the spoils of war. Other pertinent elements include the
blind attempt at self-assertion which led to the desertion by Àbdullh ibn Ubayy
and others. Similarly the weakness of some made them forget that they must leave
matters to God and caused them to ask: Have we any say in the matter? while others
said: Had we had any say in the matter, we should not have been slaughtered here. (Verse
154)

183
7
A High Price for Heaven
Many patterns have passed away before you. Go
about the earth and see what was the fate of those
who described the truth as lies. (137)
This is a plain exposition for mankind, as well
as a guidance and an admonition for the God-
fearing. (138)
Do not be faint of heart, and do not grieve; for
you shall gain the upper hand if you are truly
believers. (139)
If misfortune befalls you, a similar misfortune has
befallen other people as well. Such days [of fortune
and misfortune], We deal out in turn among
men. God wants to mark out those who truly
believe and choose from among you such as [with
their lives] bear witness to the truth. God does not
love the wrongdoers. (140)
And God wants to test and prove the believers,
and to blot out the unbelievers. (141)
Do you reckon that you can enter paradise unless
God has identified those among you who strive
hard [in His cause], and who are patient in
adversity. (142)
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184
Surely, you used to wish for death before you came
face to face with it. Now you have seen it with
your own eyes. (143)
Muammad is only a messenger: all messengers
have passed away before him. If, then, he dies or is
slain, will you turn about on your heels? He that
turns about on his heels will not harm God in
any way. God will reward those who are grateful
[to Him]. (144)
No one can die except by Gods leave, at a term
appointed. He who desires the reward of this
world, We shall give him thereof; and to him who
desires the reward of the life to come, We shall give
thereof. We shall reward those who are grateful to
Us. (145)
Many a Prophet has fought with many devout
men alongside him. They never lost heart on
account of what they had to suffer in Gods cause,
and neither did they weaken nor succumb. God
loves those who are patient in adversity. (146)
All that they said was this Our Lord forgive us
our sins and our excesses in our affairs. Make
firm our steps, and give us victory over the
unbelievers. (147)
God has granted them the reward of this life and
the best reward of the life to come. God loves those
who do their duty well. (148)
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185
Overview
This passage comments on the early events of the Battle of Uud up to the point at
which the victory which was well within the grasp of the Muslim army turned into
defeat. As the Qurn comments on these events, it seeks to establish certain rules
and principles. The events themselves are only a means employed by the Qurn to
drive the truth home to the Muslims. These comments begin with a reference to an
ever-recurring pattern which engulfs those who reject Gods message and describe it
as a lie. The Muslims are told here that the Quraysh victory in this particular battle is
a one-off incident delivering a particular lesson. They are called upon to demonstrate
their steadfastness and to feel their superiority through faith. If they have suffered,
the idolaters have also suffered in the same battle. What happened to the Muslims is
useful in certain ways as it helps distinguish those who are firm in their faith and
select from among them martyrs who are ready to sacrifice their lives for their faith.
Moreover, the Muslims are brought face to face with death, after they had wished for
it. Their promises and wishes are thus put to the test. All this helps the Muslim
community acquire the necessary equipment to face its enemies and to bring about
the desired result of wiping out unbelievers. In both defeat and victory, the overall
goal is served.
In the Battle of Uud, the Muslims suffered a misfortune: they were defeated and
many of them were killed. Physically and mentally, they endured affliction. Seventy
of the Prophets Companions were killed. The Prophet himself was wounded as were
those who defended him. All this shook the believers; they had not expected such a
blow after their spectacular victory at Badr. They wondered: How could this
happen to us? How can this turn of events come about when we are Muslims?
The Qurn reminds them here that there are patterns which will eventually come
to pass. Muslims are not a special type of men. The laws of nature which apply to
human life will continue to operate. Nothing comes about out of the blue. If they
examine the laws of nature and understand what rules affect them, they will be able
to learn the lessons of all events. They will realise that Gods law never fails. Nothing
happens in vain. They will also be able to carve out their future way in the light of
what has happened in the past. They will not stand idle, relying on the fact that they
are Muslims, and expect to have victory without doing what is necessary to achieve
it. Foremost among these is obedience to God and to His Messenger.
Unfailing Life Patterns
Many patterns have passed away before you. Go about the earth and see what was the
fate of those who described the truth as lies. This is a plain exposition for mankind, as
186
well as a guidance and an admonition for the God-fearing. (Verses 137-8)
The patterns to which the srah refers here, and to which it draws the attention of
the believers, concern the fate of those who, throughout history, denied Gods
message and described it as a lie, and the fact that days of fortune and misfortune
alternate between people and communities. The patterns identified also test people
in order to know whether they are truly believers, and patient in adversity. Another
pattern of importance is the fact that victory is always granted to those who are
steadfast, while the unbelievers are blotted out. As these corresponding parts are
outlined, much encouragement is given to the believers to persevere and remain
steadfast. They are consoled for their misfortune, which has not befallen them alone.
A similar one has befallen their enemies. They should remember that they have a
superior faith and aim to those of their enemies and that they enjoy Divine guidance
and have a perfect constitution.
Moreover, ultimate victory will be theirs, while their opponents will be
vanquished: Many patterns have passed away before you. Go about the earth and see what
was the fate of those who described the truth as lies. (Verse 137) The Qurn relates the
present to the past in order to point to the future. The Arabs who were the first to be
addressed by the Qurn had nothing in their lives, neither experience nor
knowledge, prior to Islam, to enable them to have such a wide view of life and its
events. Islam indeed gave them a new life and made out of them a nation to lead
mankind.
The tribal system in their community could never have enabled them to appreciate
the relationship between the life of the people of Arabia, or indeed human life in
general, and the laws of nature which govern everything in life. The new concept,
Islam, represented a great departure which could not have developed out of their
tribal society or their life conditions. It was given to them by their new faith. They
were elevated to this standard within a quarter of a century, while their
contemporaries could not manage to reach this level for many centuries to come.
They could not for many generations recognise that the laws of nature never fail.
When they did, however, they overlooked the fact that Gods will is free and
absolute, and that to Him all matters are referred. This nation of Islam was able to
recognise all this and to understand it. That enabled it to appreciate the balance
between Gods free will and the constant laws of nature. Thus, they conducted their
lives on the basis of working within the laws of nature, reassured that God can
accomplish what He wills at any time He chooses.
Many patterns have passed away before you. These have taken place according to
rules and systems which are established by Gods free will to govern life. What
happened at other times will also happen in your own time, according to Gods will.
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What was applicable to other people is applicable to you as well. Go about the earth,
because the earth is a single unity and a stage on which human life is played out. Life
is an open book for people of intellect to contemplate. Go about the earth and see what
was the fate of those who described the truth as lies. Their fate is evidenced by what they
have left behind and by what we know of their history. The Qurn mentions some of
these in different places. In some cases, it identifies people, places and times. In other
instances, it makes general references which establish a general rule: what happened
to those who rejected the truth and described it as a lie in past generations will
happen to those who reject the truth today and tomorrow. This reassures the Muslim
community in respect to what will ultimately happen, and, on the other hand, it
serves as a warning against being too complacent with such people. There were
important reasons for providing such reassurance and warning, as we will see in this
long passage.
Having established the fact that these rules will continue to operate, the srah
emphasises the need to follow Divine guidance and to learn the lessons of the past:
This is a plain exposition for mankind, as well as a guidance and an admonition for the God-
fearing. (Verse 138) The Qurn makes an exposition of the truth to all mankind. It
elevates people to a height which they could never attain without its guidance. But
the God-fearing are the only ones who appreciate its guidance and admonition. A
word of truth is not appreciated except by a believing heart which is particularly
receptive to guidance. A word of plain admonition can only benefit a heart which
fears God. The ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood, or between
following guidance and going astray is rarely lacking among people. By nature, the
truth is self-evident. What people lack is the desire to follow the truth and the ability
to prefer its implementation, because these are initiated only by faith and cannot be
preserved except with the fear of God. This explains the need for the repeated
emphasis in the Qurn on the fact that the truth it tells and the guidance, light and
admonition it provides are meant only for the believers and the God-fearing. It is
these qualities which enable man to make use of this guidance and benefit by its
light, regardless of the difficulties one may face. This is indeed the heart of the
matter. There are many people who know the truth but who, nevertheless, remain
immersed in falsehood either because they yield to temptation and desire or because
they fear to share in the hardship which the followers of the truth may have to
endure.
A Cycle of Fortune and Misfortune
Do not be faint of heart, and do not grieve; for you shall gain the upper hand if you are
truly believers. If misfortune befalls you, a similar misfortune has befallen other people
as well. Such days [of fortune and misfortune], We deal out in turn among men. God
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wants to mark out those who truly believe and choose from among you such as [with
their lives] bear witness to the truth. God does not love the wrongdoers. (Verses 139-
40)
Believers must not lose heart, nor should they allow grief to overtake them
because of what may happen. They will gain the upper hand, because they have a
superior faith. Believers prostrate themselves only to God, while others prostrate
before one, or more, of His creatures. This srah makes it plain to the believers that
they are indeed superior and far more exalted than other people. It tells them: You
have a superior way of life, because you follow a method established by God while
the methods followed by other groups have been devised by His creatures.
Moreover, your role is superior, because you have been selected for a position of
trust, to convey Gods guidance to all mankind. Other people are unaware of this
guidance, and have gone astray. Your place on earth is superior, because God has
promised you to inherit the earth, while they will sink into oblivion. If you are truly
believers, then you are superior. Therefore, you have to demonstrate the strength of
your faith by not losing heart and you must not grieve. The rules determined by God
make it possible that you may score a victory or suffer a defeat, but the ultimate end
after enduring the test and striving hard for Gods cause, will be in your favour.
If misfortune befalls you, a similar misfortune has befallen other people as well. The
misfortune which is said to have befallen the Muslims and the fact that a similar one
befell those who rejected the truth may be a reference to the Battle of Badr, in which
the idolaters suffered a heavy defeat. On the other hand, it may be a reference to the
Battle of Uud, in which the Muslims were initially close to victory, but were then
defeated. What the Muslims suffered was fair reward for their disagreement and
disobedience. Moreover, it represents an aspect of how the rules of nature
established by God never fail. The disagreement among the rearguard of the Muslim
army was the result of their greed. In any campaign of jihd, God grants victory to
those who strive for His cause, looking for nothing of the petty gains of this world.
Another rule of nature which is seen in full operation is the dealing out of fortune
and misfortune among people according to their actions and intentions. In this way,
true believers are distinguished from hypocrites. Mistakes are identified and the way
ahead becomes very clear.
If misfortune befalls you, a similar misfortune has befallen other people as well. Such days
[of fortune and misfortune] We deal out in turn among men. God wants to mark out those
who truly believe. (Verse 140) When hardship is followed by prosperity and the latter
is followed by another hardship, peoples true characters emerge. They reveal how
clear their vision is, how much they panic and how patient in adversity they can be,
as well as how great their trust in God is and how submissive to His will they are.
Thus true believers are distinguished from those who are hypocrites. Their true
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hearts are apparent to all. The Muslim camp is strengthened by the fact that those
who do not truly belong to it are identified and excluded.
God knows all secrets and He is aware of those who are true believers and those
who are not. But the alternation of days of fortune and misfortune does not merely
reveal secrets; it also translates faith into action and compels hypocrisy to express
itself in practical measures. Hence, it is action that merits reward. God does not hold
people to account for what He knows of their position, but He counts their actions
for or against them. The cycle of hardship and prosperity is an accurate criterion.
Prosperity is as good a test as hardship. Some people may withstand hardship but
become complacent when they are tested with ease and prosperity. A true believer is
one who remains steadfast in adversity and is not lured away by prosperity. He
knows that whatever befalls him of good or evil happens only with Gods
permission.
In the process of moulding the first Muslim community and preparing it for the
role of leadership of mankind, God has tested it with hardship after prosperity, and
with a bitter defeat after a spectacular victory. Both have happened according to the
laws of nature which never fail. That is because God wants the Muslim community
to learn what brings it victory and what causes it defeat. Thus, it becomes more
obedient to God and reliant on Him. It becomes better aware of the true nature of its
Islamic constitution and way of life and what their implementation requires of it.
A Careful Selection of Martyrs
God wants to mark out those who truly believe and choose from among you such as
[with their lives] bear witness to the truth. God does not love the wrongdoers. And
God wants to test and prove the believers, and to blot out the unbelievers. (Verses
140-1)
The srah goes on to reveal to the Muslim community certain aspects of Divine
wisdom behind which the events of the Battle of Uud took place, and why defeat
was suffered by the Muslims after their spectacular victory at Badr. The principle of
testing the believers and proving their mettle is strongly emphasised. At the same
time God states that He wants to choose from among the believers people who with
their lives bear witness to the truth. The Arabic original states that God wants to
choose from among the believers martyrs. It should be remembered that in Arabic
the word shahd which denotes martyr also means witness.
3

The way this point is expressed in the Qurn is particularly remarkable: God

3
For rendering the meaning of the Qurnic text in English, I have borrowed Muammad Asads
translation, which combines both meanings.
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wants ... to choose from among you such as [with their lives] bear witness to the truth. God,
then, takes martyrs from among those who strive for His cause. Therefore, it is
neither a tragedy nor a loss that anyone is chosen to be a martyr. Indeed, it is a
matter of honour because the choice is made by God and those martyrs are given, by
God, a special position near Him. Moreover, they are selected to bear witness to the
truth of Gods message to mankind. They give their testimony in a way which cannot
be contested by anyone. That testimony is to struggle to establish the truth of the
Divine Message in life until they die. They testify that what they have received from
God is the truth in which they have believed and to which they have dedicated
themselves, and that human life will not be set right unless this truth is implemented.
They are so certain of this that they spare no effort in fighting falsehood and
establishing the truth, moulding society on the basis of its tenets. Their testimony is
their struggle until death. The truthfulness of that testimony is irrefutable.
Every Muslim declares that he bears witness that there is no deity save God and
that Muammad is His messenger. However, he is not considered a witness unless
he gives credence to his declaration that there is only one God in the universe. This
means that he accepts no legislation other than that which comes from God. The
most essential characteristic of Godhead is to legislate and the most essential
characteristic of worship is to accept and implement Gods legislation. This
declaration also means that a believer does not receive Gods legislation except
through Muammad (pbuh), since he is Gods Messenger. Every person who makes
this declaration is required to strive hard in order to make sure that God alone is
acknowledged as the only God by all mankind. The practical effect of this is to make
the constitution God devised for human life, and which was conveyed to us by
Muammad (pbuh), the established constitution throughout the world. If the
attainment of that goal means that a Muslim should die, he is then a martyr, or a
witness, chosen by God to make this testimony and to win this noble position.
This is the proper understanding of the remarkable Qurnic statement: God
wants to ... choose from among you such as [with their lives) bear witness to the truth. It is
also the meaning of the declaration that there is no deity save God and that
Muammad is Gods Messenger. It is vastly different from the narrow meaning
associated with it in the minds of many people today.
God does not love the wrongdoers. Wrongdoing or injustice, as often mentioned in
the Qurn, is synonymous with disbelief and polytheism, since the association of
partners with God is the worst form of wrongdoing. In the Qurn we read: To
ascribe partners with God is indeed to do a great wrong. (Luqmn, 31: 13) Al- Bukhr and
Muslim relate a adth on the authority of Abdullh ibn Mas`d in which he states
that he asked Gods Messenger: Which is the greatest sin of all? He answered: To
claim a partner to God when He has created you.
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The srah has already referred to the established pattern which determines the fate
of those who describe the truth as lies. Now it states that God does not love the
wrongdoers. This is indeed another way of making clear the fate that awaits those
who reject the truth and who are not loved by God. The statement that God does not
love such people generates in the believers hearts a feeling of hatred for wrongdoing
and wrongdoers. It is also highly appropriate for it to be mentioned here in the
context of striving hard for Gods cause. A believer undertakes such a struggle to
combat everyone and everything that God hates. It is in such a combat that martyrs
sacrifice themselves and make their testimony after they have been chosen for the
task by none other than God Himself.
The srah goes on to explain the lessons to be drawn from the events of battle and
how these help in educating the Muslim community, purging it from foreign
elements and preparing it for its nobler role. In this way it becomes a means which
God uses to wipe out unbelievers and a manifestation of His ability to crush those
who reject the truth and describe it as lies: And God wants to test and prove the
believers, and to blot out the unbelievers. Proving the quality of people is a harder task
than drawing a distinction between them. This is something that is accomplished
through working on peoples hearts and souls. Its aim is to bring into the open the
secret elements of which mens characters are made, in order to throw out any
foreign elements. Thus, characters become purged and clear, and accept the truth
without hesitation. They suffer no ambiguity or confusion.
It is often the case that man is not fully aware of himself and by what or how his
character is influenced. He might not be aware of his strengths and weaknesses, of
what has sunk into him and become very difficult to bring out. This process of
testing and proving, which God operates through dealing out days of fortune and
days of misfortune to people, enables the believers to better know themselves.
A man may think himself dedicated and free of meanness or love of material
luxuries. When he is exposed to a practical test, however, and when he faces up to
actual events, he may discover that he still has certain traces remaining which make
it exceedingly difficult for him to withstand the sort of pressures to which he is
exposed. It is far better that he becomes aware of these weaknesses in order to try
again to mould his character in such a way which enables him to take in his stride
any pressures the advocates of Islam may have to face and to fulfil the duties Islam
imposes on its followers.
God Himself supervised the first Muslim community which He had chosen to lead
mankind. He wanted them to fulfil a certain purpose on earth. Therefore, He put
them to the test at Uud so that they could prove themselves and rise to a level
which made it possible for them to accomplish what God intended for them.
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And God wants to ... blot out the unbelievers. This is again an established pattern in
human life. When the voice of truth is heard loud and purged of all foreign elements,
God enables it to blot out falsehood and its advocates.
Wishful Thinking in Contrast with Reality
Do you reckon that you can enter paradise unless God has identified those among you
who strive hard [in His cause], and who are patient in adversity. Surely, you used to
wish for death before you came face to face with it. Now you have seen it with your
own eyes. (Verses 142-3)
These verses start with a rhetorical question, the purpose of which is to correct the
concepts formed by Muslims on the patterns established by God for the advocacy of
His faith: how victory is achieved and defeat suffered; the importance of action and
what reward it merits, etc. The Qurn makes it clear that/ the road to heaven is
attended by many difficulties and undesirable things. The best equipment for a
believer is patience in adversity. This is totally different from hollow wishes and
claims which any test may prove to be futile. Do you reckon that you can enter paradise
unless God has identified those among you who strive hard [in His cause] and who are patient
in adversity? (Verse 142)
The rhetoric mode is employed in this question so as to make it clear that the
whole concept is wrong. It is certainly a mistake for any man to think that it is
sufficient for him to only say that he has accepted Islam and be ready to die for it in
order to fulfil the duties which are required of him as one of the believers. It is
important to remember here that the fulfilment of such duties earns that person the
greatest prize of all, namely, admission to heaven. What is needed for the fulfilment
of such duties is to go through a practical test of jihd, to face up to difficulties and to
be patient in adversity.
The phraseology of the Qurnic text is particularly significant: ...unless God has
identified those among you who strive hard [in His cause], and who are patient in adversity.
It is not sufficient that believers should strive hard in Gods cause. They have to
demonstrate their patience and fulfil the continuous and varied tasks imposed on
them by their faith. Fighting on the battlefield may be one of the lightest of these
tasks which demand patience and prove the strength of faith. There is, in addition,
the never-ending, uphill task of maintaining the standards of behaviour
commensurate with faith, developing a set of values which are not only based on the
principles of faith but are also reflected in ones feelings and attitudes. There is also
the need for perseverance which helps people overcome their weaknesses, whether
these be within themselves or in others with whom they deal in the course of daily
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life. Patience and perseverance have to be demonstrated in a variety of situations,
especially when to give up appears to be far more appealing.
Examples of this include when falsehood appears to be victorious, and stronger
than the truth; when the way ahead appears to be too long, too hard and full of
difficulties; when a moment of relaxation appears to be all that one can care for after
a long period of hard struggle. Fighting on the battlefield is no more than one aspect
of striving for Gods cause, which is the only way to heaven. Certainly, heaven is not
won by wishful thinking or by paying lip-service to the requirements of faith.
Surely, you used to wish for death before you came face to face with it. Now you have seen it
with your own eyes. (Verse 143) Once more, they are put face to face with death,
which they already faced on the battlefield. Since they used to wish for death, they
should weigh their words against the facts they have seen with their own eyes. They
are thus taught how words must reflect practical reality. In this way, they learn the
value of words, wishes and pledges. What attains them heaven is the credence they
give to their words and the fulfilment of their pledges. In practice, that necessitates
hard striving and patience in adversity. When they demonstrate all that in practical
life, all their hopes are fulfilled.
There is no doubt that God was able, from the very first moment, to grant His
Prophet victory and to establish His message in practical life, without any effort
made by the believers. He was indeed able to send down His angels to fight
alongside the believers, or without them, and to destroy the idolaters just as He
destroyed the peoples of `d, Thamd and those to whom the Prophet Lot was sent.
But the question is not one of victory. The crux of the matter is the education and
preparation of the Muslim community to assume the role of the leadership of
mankind, after having overcome all its weaknesses and desires, and having corrected
any deviation resulting from such weaknesses. To exercise mature and responsible
leadership, the Muslim community should have leaders who go through stringent
preparation. Among the most important qualities needed are serious morality,
unshaken support for the truth, patience in adversity, awareness of the strengths and
weaknesses in human nature, ability to identify the causes of temptation and
deviation and how they can be successfully countered. Other prerequisites include
passing the test of prosperity as well as that of hardship and the even more difficult
test of hardship after prosperity.
It is through this sort of education that God prepares the Muslim community for
the great and highly difficult role of leadership He has assigned to it. It is His will
that man, whom He has placed in charge of building life on earth, assumes this role.
The process of educating and preparing the Muslim community may take a variety
of ways and means as well as incidents and events. Sometimes, the Muslim
community is elated by a decisive victory and is required to control its feelings. No
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trace of arrogance should be apparent in its attitude. On the contrary, it must always
show its humility and gratitude to God. At other times, the Muslim community may
experience great hardship and defeat. In this case, it must turn to God
acknowledging its weakness if it deviates from the method and way of life God has
assigned to it. It must remain acutely aware of its intrinsic strength and how to tap it.
When the Muslim community suffers a bitter defeat, it must continue to feel itself
superior to the forces of falsehood, because it takes its stand in support of the
absolute truth. It tries hard to identify its weaknesses in order to remedy its position
in preparation for the next round. In either case, of victory or defeat, the Muslim
community tries to enhance its strength, realising that the rules of nature set by God
will continue to operate and will never fail.
All this was part of what the first Muslim community learnt from the Battle of
Uud. The Qurn presents the same in the clearest of terms before the Muslim
community. The lesson, however, continues to apply to every Muslim community in
every generation.
Muammad: Man, Prophet and Messenger
Muammad is only a messenger: all messengers have passed away before him. If then,
he dies or is slain, will you turn about on your heels? He that turns about on his heels
will not harm God in any way. God will reward those who are grateful [to Him].
(Verse 144)
This verse refers to a particular incident which took place during the Battle of
Uud. The Prophet had stationed a detachment of soldiers on top of the mountain
behind the Muslim army. They were the rearguard, equipped with bows and arrows
to repel any attack launched against the Muslim army from behind. When the battle
appeared to be all over, most of them left their positions, against the express orders
of the Prophet. A battalion of the enemy forces were thus able to go round the
mountain and attack the Muslims from the rear. The Prophet himself was injured: his
front teeth were broken, and his face was bleeding.
The situation became chaotic and the Muslim army was in disarray. At this
moment, someone cried out: Muammad is killed! Such a great shock was this to
the Muslims, that many of them turned round to return to Madinah. They went up
into the mountain, shattered, defeated, in despair. However, the Prophet himself,
with a small group of his Companions, stood firm. He called to his Companions as
they began to retreat. When they heard him, they began to rally. God helped them
regain their moral strength and allowed them to be overtaken by a momentary
slumber so as to give them strength, security and reassurance, as will be explained
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later.
This sequence of events is used in the Qurn to drive home to the Muslims certain
fundamental principles about life and death and the history of Divine faith:
Muammad is only a messenger: all messengers have passed away before him. If then, he
dies or is slain, will you turn about on your heels? Muammad (pbuh) is simply a
messenger, having been preceded by all other messengers. He will die as other
messengers have died before him. This is an elementary fact. How is it then that the
Muslims show themselves to be oblivious of this fact when it stared them in the face
during the battle?
Muammad (pbuh) is a messenger of God, entrusted with the task of conveying
His message. God is Eternal and His word never dies. Believers should never turn on
their heels if the messenger who has come to convey Gods word to them dies or is
killed. This is also an elementary fact which the Muslims, in their great confusion,
overlooked.
Human beings die and perish, while the faith survives. The way of life God has
designed for mankind has its own entity; it is independent of those who convey it to
people, be they messengers or believers. Every Muslim loves Gods Messenger
(pbuh). His Companions loved him as no one had ever been loved before. They were
ready to sacrifice their lives in order to spare him the slightest pain. One of his
Companions, Ab Dujnah, stood as a shield to protect the Prophet, was hit by
numerous arrows in the back and yet he never stirred. Only nine of his Companions
were close to him when he was targeted by a determined attack by the unbelievers,
and those nine defended him most courageously, until they were all killed. Many
others in every generation and in all places continue to love him with all their hearts.
Every Muslim who loves Muammad (pbuh) in such a way is required to distinguish
between the Prophet as a person, and the faith he has conveyed to mankind and left
intact for all people to accept and implement. It derives its continuity from God, Who
never dies.
The message is much older than its advocates: Muammad is only a messenger: all
messengers have passed away before him. They all preached the same message, the roots
of which go back to the beginning of history. It starts with the beginning of human
life, providing mankind with guidance and peace from the very first day of its
existence.
The message is also greater than its advocates and lasts longer. Many of its
advocates have come and gone, while it continues to serve as guidance to succeeding
generations. Its followers maintain their link with God Almighty, its originator, Who
has sent messengers to convey it to mankind. He is Everlasting and believers address
their prayers to Him. None of them may turn about on their heels or turn their back
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on Gods guidance. This explains the stern warning implicit in this verse: If then, he
dies or is slain, will you turn about on your heels? He that turns about on his heels will not
harm God in any way. God will reward those who are grateful [to Him]. (Verse 144)
The vivid description of turning back is here to be noted: Will you turn about on
your heels? The physical movement depicted here brings alive the meaning of
abandoning faith as if we see it with our own eyes. The verse does not refer to the
physical turning away as a result of defeat in battle. It is more concerned with the
psychological turning about when a voice cried out that Muammad was killed.
Some Muslims felt that there was no point in continuing the fight against the
idolaters, since the death of Muammad (pbuh) signalled the end of this faith and
the end of combat against idolatry. This psychological effect is delineated in terms of
turning about on ones heels, which was a movement that actually took place during
the battle. It is this very attitude which Al-Nar ibn Anas, a Companion of the
Prophet, warned his fellow Muslims against when he saw that many of them had
lain down their arms. His retort to their excuse that Muammad was dead, was:
What use is life to you after he has died? Get up and die for the cause Gods
Messenger (pbuh) has sacrificed his life for.
He that turns about on his heels will not harm God in any way. It is indeed he who is
the loser. He who deviates from the path of faith harms himself and causes God no
harm. God is in no need of mankind or their worship. It is out of His grace that He
has given His servants this constitution for their own good and happiness. Everyone
who turns his back on it suffers from confusion and misery. Everything is thus set on
the wrong footing. Life itself becomes deviant. People suffer the evil consequences of
turning away from the only constitution which provides harmony in life and which
achieves harmony between man, his nature and the universe around him.
God will reward those who are grateful to Him. They know the great bounty God
has given His servants by establishing for them this code of living. They show their
gratitude to Him by following this code and praising Him. They reap the benefits of
this way of life and achieve total happiness. This is good reward for their gratitude.
But they also have an increase of happiness with the reward they receive from God
in the hereafter. That is a much greater reward and, unlike everything enjoyed in this
world, it is everlasting.
God will reward those who are grateful to Him. Those who appreciate Gods bounty
and show their gratitude to Him by following His guidance and by glorifying Him
find happiness in their lives. Thus are they rewarded for their gratitude, and they
will receive an even better reward in the life to come.
Apparently God wanted to wean the Companions of the Prophet from their over-
enthusiastic attachment to him in person while he was alive among them. Their
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attachment should be, in the first place, with Islam itself. Their covenants should be
made with God directly and they should be made to feel that they are responsible to
Him directly. Thus they would feel that their responsibilities continue after the death
of the Prophet. Perhaps God also wanted to prepare the Muslim community for the
inevitable shock which they were bound to receive when the Prophet died. He
certainly knew that his death would be a stunning blow to them. Hence, if they were
made to feel that their direct relationship was with Him and His message then they
would be able to overcome their shock.
When the Prophet actually died his Companions were stunned, so much so that
Ùmar drew his sword and threatened anyone who claimed that Muammad was
dead. Only Ab Bakr, the best example of a true believer in God, was able to take the
event in its proper perspective. He read out this verse to the Muslims and it was
enough to make them realise that it was only a natural event. With this they were
able to turn to God. The Qurn in this verse touches on mans fear of death. It
dispels that fear by stating the ever-correct principle of life and death and also of
what comes after life.
Death and Reward
No one can die except by Gods leave, at a term appointed. He who desires the reward
of this world, We shall give him thereof and to him who desires the reward of the life to
come, We shall give thereof. We shall reward those who are grateful to Us. (Verse
145)
Every human soul, then, lives up to its appointed time. No one dies before his
time. Neither fear, nor the desire to live longer can postpone anyones appointed
time. Courage and adventure, on the other hand, will not shorten ones life. As this
idea sinks into the minds of the believers they simply do not think of death as they
go about fulfilling their responsibilities and carrying out their religious duties. This is
the reason why people, throughout the ages, have seen that those who believe in God
are not encumbered by their desire to prolong their time on earth or by their fear of
what lies ahead. They simply rely on God as they carry out their duties with patience
and reassurance.
Since everybody dies at his or her appointed time then everyone should think of
the life to come and should work hard in order to achieve the greater happiness of
that life: He who desires the reward of this world, We shall give him thereof and to him who
desires the reward of the life to come, We shall give thereof (Verse 145)
The gulf between the two types of life is as wide as the gulf between the concerns
of those who desire the reward of either one or the other. The length of ones life on
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this earth is not affected by the choice one makes. So, he who makes this life his
ultimate goal and seeks only its rewards leads a life which is not greatly different
from the life of animals, before he dies at the appointed time. On the other hand, he
who looks up to the wider horizon leads the life of a true human being whom God
has ennobled, to whom He has assigned the mission of building a happy human life
on earth. Such a person also dies at his appointed time.
We shall reward those who are grateful to Us. Those who appreciate how God has
ennobled man and lift themselves above the standard of animals and show their
gratitude to God will certainly be richly rewarded by Him.
This is how the Qurn views the essence of life and death, and the end of human
beings as they choose for themselves and determine their preoccupations which can
be either petty like those of worms or great like those of man. In this way, the Qurn
turns our attention from fear of death and worry about duties because we have no
say with regard to our life and death. It thus enables us to concentrate on what is of
much better use, namely, the life to come. Whichever choice he makes, he will receive
from God the reward most appropriate for that choice.
Lessons from the History of the Prophets
God then gives the Muslims an example drawn from the history of fellow
believers. The procession of faith, composed of believers, dates back to the very
beginning of time. There were people who were true to their word, firm believers
who fought alongside the prophets sent to them and they never weakened in times of
adversity. As they stared death in the face, they demonstrated their awareness of
their true position when they fought in Gods cause and lived in accordance with the
teachings of their faith. They said no more than a prayer to God to forgive them.
They enlarged their slips in behaviour and attitude, so as to describe them as
excesses. They also prayed to God to make their steps firm and to grant them
victory. This earned for them the reward of this life and that of the life to come,
because they combined the right attitude in battle and the right attitude in their
prayers. Thus, they have provided an example which God cites here for the Muslims.
Many a Prophet has fought with many devout men alongside him. They never lost
heart on account of what they had to suffer in Gods cause, and neither did they
weaken nor succumb. God loves those who are patient in adversity. All that they said
was this: Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our excesses in our affairs. Make firm
our steps, and give us victory over the unbelievers. God has granted them the reward
of this life and the best reward of the life to come. God loves those who do their duty
well. (Verses 146-8)
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The Battle of Uud was the first major defeat suffered by the Muslims. They had
earlier been granted victory at Badr when their forces were far inferior to those of
their enemy. Thus, they may have felt that victory in every encounter was part of the
laws of nature. The shock dealt them at Uud was a hard and disturbing trial. This
may be the reason for the long Qurnic comments on this particular battle. The
Muslims are encouraged at one point, and their notions are corrected at another; at
times, certain principles are clearly stated, and at others, examples are cited to
provide proper education for them and to correct any misconceptions they may have.
They had to be well prepared for their long and arduous struggle in discharging the
duties imposed on them as advocates of Gods message.
The example which the srah gives here is a general one, which neither mentions
any prophet by name nor specifies a particular nation or people. The outcome of this
is that the Muslims feel themselves to belong to the advocates of true faith
throughout history. They learn the proper manners which believers should adopt.
Trials are shown to them as something to be naturally expected by the advocates of
any message and any faith. Ties are established between them and the followers of
earlier prophets so that they appreciate that believers in any generation are closely
related to their predecessors in faith. They learn that the cause of faith is one which
has been present throughout history and that they are only one battalion in a great
army of the faithful: Many a Prophet has fought with many devout men alongside him.
They never lost heart on account of what they had to suffer in Gods cause, and neither did
they weaken nor succumb. (Verse 146) There were many prophets who mobilised large
groups of fighters who withstood all manner of hardship and suffering. They never
yielded or gave up their fight. Such determination is characteristic of believers who
know that they have to fight for their faith. God loves those who are patient in
adversity. They persevere and show no weakness. Their determination remains
strong. When these are described as being loved by God, the expression has its
particular effect on the present generation of believers. It helps heal their wounds
and it is accepted as ample and generous compensation It for every hardship.
The description so far shows only what is apparent of the attitude of those
believers in situations of difficulty and trial. Now the srah goes on to describe their
inner feelings. It shows them as observing all standards of propriety when they
address God. The testing times, the difficulties and the dangers do not make the
believers oblivious of their need to turn to God. As they do, their first request is not
victory, as would have been expected, but forgiveness for their errors and excesses.
Prayer for increased strength and victory over the enemy comes second: All that they
said was this: Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our excesses in our affairs. Make firm our
steps, and give us victory over the unbelievers. (Verse 147) They do not pray for any
great bounty or reward. They have not implored God to give them the reward of
either this life or the life to come. Their humility when they turn to God and address
200
Him is too great to allow them to do this, and despite the fact that they are fighting
for His cause. They pray only that He will grant them forgiveness of their sins, make
firm their steps, and grant them victory over the unbelievers.
It is very important to realise here that they do not pray for victory for themselves,
but rather for the defeat their opponents and the frustration of the unbelievers. This
is the sort of good manners which befit believers when they address God, the
Almighty.
To these very people who have asked nothing for themselves, God has given
everything, out of His grace. He has given them all that is desired and coveted by
those who seek the riches of this world. He has also given them everything that those
who prefer the reward of the life to come yearn for: God has granted them the reward
of this life and the best reward of the life to come. (Verse 148) He further acknowledges
that they have done well. Their good manners are combined with a very effective
way of fulfilling their duty of jihd, exerting every effort for the cause of God. He,
therefore, declares that He loves them. His love is greater than all reward and
superior to all bounty: God loves those who do their duty well. (Verse 148)
Within the comments given in the srah on the Battle of Uud, this passage
establishes a number of principles which are central to the Islamic concept. It plays
an important role in educating the Muslim community and provides a good example
which must be understood by every generation of Muslims.

201
8
Forgiveness of a Disastrous
Error
Believers, if you obey those who have rejected the
faith, they will cause you to turn back on your
heels, and you will be the losers. (149)
Indeed, God alone is your Lord Supreme and
He is the best of all who bring succour. (150)
We shall strike terror in the hearts of unbelievers
because they associate partners with God
[something] for which He has never granted any
warrant. Their abode is the fire, and evil indeed is
the dwelling place of the wrongdoers. (151)
God fulfilled to you His promise when, by His
leave, you were about to destroy them. But then
you lost heart and disagreed with one another
concerning [the Prophets command] and diso-
beyed after God had brought you within view of
that for which you were longing. Some of you
cared only for this world and some cared for the
life to come. Then He turned you away from them
so that He may put you to a test. But now He
has forgiven you, for God is gracious to the
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202
believers. (152)
[Remember] when you ran away, up into the
mountain, paying no heed to anyone, while the
Messenger was at your rear calling out to you.
Therefore, He rewarded you with sorrow after
sorrow so that you may not grieve over what has
escaped you, nor over what had befallen you. God
is aware of all that you do. (153)
Then, after sorrow, He let peace fall upon you, in
the shape of a slumber which overtook some of
you, while others, who cared mainly for
themselves, entertained wrong thoughts about God
thoughts of pagan ignorance. They ask:
Have we any say in the matter? Say: All
power of decision rests with God. They conceal in
their minds what they do not disclose to you. They
say: Had we had any say in the matter, we
should not have been slaughtered here. Say:
Had you stayed in your homes, those of you who
were destined to be killed would have gone to their
deathbeds. For it was Gods will to put to a test
all that you entertain in you minds and to render
pure what you may have in your hearts, God is
fully aware of what is in peoples bosoms. (154)
As for those of you who turned away on the day
when the two hosts met in battle, Satan caused
them to slip only in consequence of something that
they themselves had done. But now God has
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203
Obedience Bringing Utter Loss
Believers, if you obey those who have rejected the faith, they will cause you to turn
back on your heels, and you will be the losers. Indeed, God alone is your Lord Supreme
and He is the best of all who bring succour. (Verses 149-50)
Another passage within the context of the Qurns review of the Battle of Uud
and its events now begins. The comments it includes aim at correcting the concepts
of the believers, enhancing their awareness of their situation, warning them of
pitfalls which lie in their way and what the enemy may scheme against them.
The defeat of the Muslims at Uud provided the unbelievers, the hypocrites and
the Jews in Madinah with a suitable climate to spread their hostile propaganda.
Madinah was not yet a wholly Muslim city. The Muslims there were largely a foreign
element, to which the spectacular victory at Badr imparted an awe-inspiring stature.
When they were defeated at Uud, attitudes were markedly changed. The enemies of
Forbearing. (155)
Believers, be not like those who disbelieve and say
of their brethren, when they travel on earth or go
forth to war, Had they stayed with us they
would not have died, nor would they have been
killed, so that God places a source of despair in
their hearts. It is God alone Who grants life and
causes death. God sees all that you do. (156)
If you should be slain or die in Gods cause, surely
forgiveness by God and His grace are better than
all the riches they amass. (157)
If you should die or be slain, it is to God that you
shall be gathered. (158)
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l Ìmrn (The House of Ìmrn) | FORGIVENESS OF A DISASTROUS ERROR
204
Islam found in that defeat a chance to declare their hostility and spread their
poisonous rumours. They were quick to exploit the tragedy which had affected every
Muslim family and to try to create confusion in the minds of Muslims.
At the outset of the Qurnic report of the actual events of the battle, God Himself
emphatically warns the believers against obeying those who have rejected the faith.
We hear Him (limitless is He in His glory) promising the believers victory over their
enemy coupled with striking a feeling of fear in the hearts of these enemies, and
reminding them of the victory He has granted them in the first round of their war, in
fulfilment of His earlier promise. They, however, had squandered that victory when
they weakened, and disobeyed the express orders of Gods Messenger. Now He
portrays the opposite scenes of the battle when He gives reassurance to the believers
after their defeat, leaving the hypocrites to their own worry and confusion. He
reveals to them a part of His purpose in letting events move in the direction they did,
explaining the true nature of the timing of peoples deaths. He warns them at the end
against the erroneous notions promoted by the unbelievers in relation to death and
martyrdom. He reminds them that all people, whether they die in the normal course
of events or in battle, will eventually be resurrected and return to God.
When we examine these verses carefully, we realise that they describe a vast array
of scenes and emphasise at the same time a number of principles which are
fundamental to Islamic philosophy, human life and universal law. The whole battle
is depicted in quick, lively and penetrating sketches. They accurately describe the
atmosphere, events and circumstances of the battle, along with all the feelings and
attitudes displayed by the believers at that time. There is no doubt that it is beyond
human expression to include all these scenes and all these principles in such a short
passage and a small number of sentences, vivid as they may be. This is a point which
can be better understood by those familiar with different styles and methods of
expression.
Believers, if you obey those who have rejected the faith, they will cause you to turn
back on your heels, and you will be the losers. Indeed, God alone is your Lord Supreme
and He is the best of all who bring succour. (Verses 149-50)
The unbelievers, the hypocrites and the Jews in Madinah seized the opportunity
created by the defeat of the Muslims to warn them against following Muammad.
They painted to them in dark colours the gloomy prospects of going to war and
fighting the idolaters of the Quraysh and its allies. In the aftermath of defeat, the
social climate provides easy opportunities to spread confusion and to weaken the
trust of soldiers in their leaders. By the same token the idea of establishing a peaceful
accord with the victors was painted in tempting colours. Personal grief was being
exploited as part of the wicked design aiming to destroy the Muslim community and
205
Islam altogether.
Hence, God warns the believers against giving heed to those who have rejected
the faith, because that obedience will inevitably result in utter loss. Nothing good can
come from it. It represents a complete about-turn from a state of disbelief. A believer
either continues to fight those who cling to falsehood and reject faith, or turns on his
heels God forbid thus becoming an unbeliever. It is not possible for a believer
to take an in-between attitude, trying to maintain neutrality while at the same time
hanging on to his faith. He may harbour some such thoughts in the wake of defeat
and under the influence of calamity. He may even imagine that he can withdraw
from battle against a mightier power, and establish peace with that enemy, and, at
the same time, retain his faith. This, however, is a great delusion. In the whole
question of faith, a person who does not move forward can only go backwards. If one
does not fight disbelief, evil, falsehood and tyranny, one must beat retreat and turn
back on ones heels to embrace all this evil. A person whose faith does not stop him
from obeying unbelievers and having trust in them sacrifices, in fact, his very faith
for their sake. He is spiritually defeated when he befriends the enemies of his faith
and follows their directives. As he starts with defeat, he cannot escape from it at the
end. He is bound to revert to rejection of the faith, although he may not imagine that
such would be his end. A believer is satisfied with his faith and leadership to such an
extent that he has no need to consult the enemies of his faith. If he listens to them
once, he actually begins the process of turning back on his heels. This is an
elementary and honest truism to which God draws the attentions of the believers:
Believers, if you obey those who have rejected the faith they will cause you to turn back on
your heels, and you will be the losers.
What loss is greater than turning back on ones heels, after one has attained to
faith? What benefits may be gained after loss of faith has taken place?
If the tendency to obey the unbelievers is motivated by hopes of protection and
succour, this is also a great delusion. The Qurn does not discuss this delusion, but
reminds the believers of where true help, protection and succour come from: Indeed
God alone is your Lord Supreme and He is the best of all who bring succour. It is to Him
that the believers pray for support and victory. He who has God for his supporter
has no need whatsoever for any of His creation. If he has the support of God, what
use to him is the support of any creature?
Striking Fear in Enemies Hearts
The srah now provides the believers with more reassurance, giving them the
happy news of Gods plan to strike terror into the hearts of their enemies because
they associate partners with Him, against all His express orders. Indeed, God has
206
given those alleged partners no power of any sort. Moreover, in the hereafter, the
wrongdoers will receive further punishment: We shall strike terror in the hearts of
unbelievers because they associate partners with God something for which He has never
granted any warrant. Their abode is the fire, and evil indeed is the dwelling place of the
wrongdoers. (Verse 151)
A promise from God, the Almighty, to strike terror into the hearts of the
unbelievers is sufficient guarantee to bring the battle to a decisive victory for the
believers who support Him, against His enemies. It is a promise which holds true in
every confrontation between belief and disbelief. Every time the unbelievers come
face to face with the believers, fear overcomes them, because God strikes that feeling
into their hearts. What is important for this feeling to surface is that the believers
themselves truly feel their faith. They must genuinely submit themselves to God
alone, and have total confidence in Gods help and entertain no shred of doubt that
victory will be given to Gods soldiers and that God will accomplish His will and that
the unbelievers can never frustrate what God wants to accomplish. Sometimes,
appearances may suggest the contrary, but the believers have to trust in Gods
promise because it will always come true, regardless of what people may see with
their own eyes or judge with their own minds. The unbelievers will feel terror in
their hearts, because they do not rely on any firm support. They have no power of
their own, and they do not enjoy the support of any other powerful source. They
have attributed to God partners who have no authority or power of their own,
because God has never bestowed any warrant on them.
The expression something for which He has never granted any warrant, is
particularly significant. It is frequently used in the Qurn, sometimes to describe the
partners associated with God, and at other times to describe false beliefs. It points to
a basic and fundamental principle. An idea, a principle, a person or an organisation
can live, survive and be effective only according to what it enjoys of real force. Such
force is always commensurate with its share of the truth. This means that it is only
powerful in direct proportion to its concordance with the basic principle which
constitutes the foundation of the universe and with the laws God has set in operation
in the universe. It is only when such harmony is achieved that God gives it effective
force, which enables it to work. Otherwise, it remains shaky, false, powerless, though
it may appear at times tempting and mighty.
The idolaters ascribe divinity to deities other than God. The very concept of
polytheism is based on giving certain fundamental qualities to beings other than
God. One of the most important of these qualities and attributes is the right to issue
legislation which may affect any aspect of human life, and the right to establish
values which people should implement in their community and observe in their
behaviour. Also, the right to establish ones own power over others and to make
207
other people submit to such legislation and implement such values is another aspect
of practical polytheism. Offering actual worship to beings other than God is another
of its aspects, which means, as we have already said, ascribing Godhead qualities to
beings other than God.
How much harmony do these deities have with the truth upon which the universe
has been founded? God, Who has no partners, has created the universe so that it
points to its single Creator. All creation must submit to Him alone, without partners,
and must receive from Him alone their laws and values and must offer worship
sincerely and genuinely to Him alone. Whatever is in conflict with the general and
comprehensive meaning of the concept of the oneness of God, is false and contrary to
the truth inherent in the universe. Hence, it is weak, shaky, devoid of any power and
authority and cannot have any genuine effect on the course of life, because it is
devoid of all the elements of life and has no right to live.
As those idolaters associate with God partners for whom He has never granted
any authority, they have no firm support to rely upon. They will always be weak and
they will experience terror whenever they come face to face with the believers, who
rely on the mighty truth.
This promise always comes true in any confrontation between truth and
falsehood. Many a time, falsehood has every type of armament when it confronts the
truth, which may have little or no weaponry. Nevertheless, falsehood mobilises its
forces, and feels a shiver go through its constitution. It shudders at every movement
and at every shout. If the truth makes a sudden attack, confusion will spread within
the ranks of falsehood, even though it may have great numerical superiority. All this
takes place in fulfilment of Gods true promise: We shall strike terror in the hearts of the
unbelievers because they associate partners with God [something] for which He has never
granted any warrant. All this takes place in this life. As for the hereafter, a dismal and
sorrowful destiny awaits the wrongdoers: Their abode is the fire, and evil indeed is the
dwelling place of the wrongdoers.
At this point, the srah takes the believers back to the fulfilment of Gods promise
at the Battle of Uud in particular. Initially, the Muslims enjoyed a clear advantage
which could have led to certain victory. Unbelievers lay dead left, right, and centre,
until the bulk of their army turned on their heels, leaving much of their equipment
and armament as spoils of war. Their banner was on the ground, and there was none
to lift it until a woman managed to raise it for them. Yet at that point, the Muslims
clear victory turned into defeat because their rearguard had weakened before the
temptation of sharing in the spoils. They disputed among themselves and then
violated the express orders of Gods Messenger, their Prophet and leader. Now the
srah moves on to describe the scenes and events of the battle itself.
208
Victory So Near, Yet So Far
God fulfilled to you His promise when, by His leave, you were about to destroy them.
But then you lost heart and disagreed with one another concerning [the Prophets
command] and disobeyed after God had brought you within view of that for which you
were longing. Some of you cared only for this world and some cared for the life to
come. Then He turned you away from them so that He may put you to the test. But
now He has forgiven you, for God is gracious to the believers. [Remember] when you
ran away, up into the mountain, paying no heed to anyone, while the Messenger was
at your rear calling out to you. Therefore, He rewarded you with sorrow after sorrow
so that you may not grieve over what has escaped you, nor over what had befallen you.
God is aware of all that you do. (Verses 152-3)
The srah paints a full picture of the battlefield and the succession of victory and
defeat. Every movement, every impression, every facial expression and every fleeting
thought is recorded. The Qurnic description is like a film reel which shows every
movement in vivid and sharp detail. This particularly applies to the image of people
fleeing from the battlefield and charging up the mountain in panic, as the Prophet
called out to them. Coupled with this is a picture of the thoughts, impressions and
reactions people entertained. On top of it all, we have a number of directives and
statements which are characteristic of the Qurnic style and its remarkable method
of educating believers.
God fulfilled to you His promise, when, by His leave, you were about to destroy them.
This was at the beginning of the battle, when the Muslims began to steadily put an
end to all resistance shown by the idolaters, and to destroy their forces. At that time,
they were not distracted by the loot which loomed large. The Prophet had said to
them: You will be victorious as long as you remain steadfast. God has fulfilled that
promise which He gave them through His Prophet.
But then you lost heart and disagreed with one another concerning [the Prophets
command] and disobeyed after God had brought you within view of that for which you were
longing. Some of you cared only for this world and some cared for the life to come. (Verse
152) This is a description of what took place among the archers. A group of them felt
the temptation too strongly. They wanted their share of the booty. They argued with
those who maintained that they must obey the Messengers command literally. Their
argument led to disobedience when they saw the clear indications of the victory they
longed to achieve. Thus, they were split into two groups: one caring only for worldly
gains, and the other looking only for Gods reward in the hereafter. Discord was
sown and the believers were no longer one force, working for one goal. Dedication,
which is absolutely necessary in every battle fought for the sake of faith, was tainted
with greed. What is important to remember is that a battle fought for the sake of faith
is unique in that it is fought both on the battlefield and in peoples hearts. Victory in
209
the former is dependent on victory in the latter. It is a battle fought for the sake of
God. Therefore, God gives victory in it to those who are totally dedicated to Him.
Since they have raised the banner of God, He does not grant them victory until He
has tested them and ascertained their dedication, so that there can be no false
pretences. Sometimes, those who clearly raise the banner of falsehood in battle are
given victory, for a purpose known to God alone. But it has to be understood that
those who raise the banner of faith without demonstrating complete dedication are
never granted victory by God until they have proven that they have passed the test.
This is the message the Qurn wants to state clearly to the Muslim community,
using this particular battle as their reference point. He wanted the first Muslim
community to learn this as it suffered bitter defeat as a result of a confused and
shaky attitude.
Some of you cared only for this world and some cared for the life to come. Here the
Qurn sheds light on what is deep in peoples hearts. The Muslims themselves did
not know that they entertained such thoughts. Àbdullh ibn Mas`d, the Prophets
Companion said: I never thought that any of the Companions of the Prophet would
care for worldly gains, until God revealed in the Qurn describing our situation in
Uud: Some of you cared only for this world and some cared for the life to come. Their
hearts are thus laid open before them so that they can determine the causes of their
defeat.
At the same time, the Qurn partly reveals to the Muslims Gods purpose behind
letting them suffer all this pain, and behind allowing events to develop in that
particular fashion: Then He turned you away from them so that He may put you to a test.
Gods predestination remains operative. When people weakened, disputed and
disobeyed, God turned their power away from the idolaters and let the archers
abandon their positions and the fighters desert the battlefield. All this took place as a
result of their own actions, but it was all predestined by God in order to test the
believers with hardship, fear, defeat and loss of life. Such a trial was bound to reveal
what was in their innermost hearts and to distinguish true believers from those who
only pretended to be so. There is no contradiction whatsoever between allowing
events to happen as a direct result of their causes and them being predetermined.
The law of cause and effect remains operative but every cause is also well
determined.
But now He has forgiven you, what you have shown of weakness, dispute and
disobedience as well as your running away from battle. That forgiveness is an aspect
of His grace which overlooks human weakness when it is not the result of ill-will or
deliberate disobedience. He has forgiven you because your errors and weakness
remain within the framework of faith and submission to God. They do not come in
defiance of Gods orders.
210
God is gracious to the believers. Part of His grace is to forgive them, as long as they
follow the method He has laid down for them and they submit to His will, without
claiming any of the essential qualities of Godhead for themselves. At the same time,
they must not derive any of their laws, values or standards from any source other
than Him. Thus, when they slipped, that error came only from weakness. When they
were exposed to this trial and proved themselves, they are forgiven.
The srah then describes the scene of defeat in powerful imagery: [Remember]
when you ran away, up into the mountain, giving no heed to anyone, while the Messenger
was at your rear calling out to you. (Verse 153) This description encapsulates their
shame for what they had done and the causes which led them to do it, namely, loss
of heart, dispute and disobedience. Their physical and mental attitudes are also
brought alive in just a few words: they quickly ran away, climbing up into the
mountain, confused, afraid, perplexed, paying heed to no one. The Prophet called on
them to reassure them that he was still alive after someone had cried out otherwise.
The end result is that God rewarded them for the sorrow they suffered when they
fled, with a sorrow to fill their own hearts for having abandoned their beloved
Prophet and letting him endure his wounds, when he remained steadfast while they
turned on their heels. There is no doubt that this experience was very painful. To
them, what was most difficult to bear was the sorrow and pain which the Prophet
himself had endured, because it was a direct result of their actions. They were
bitterly ashamed. Their sorrow is useful in the sense that it was bound to make any
loss they themselves suffered seem to be of no significance, and every hardship they
will be called upon to bear very easy: Therefore, He rewarded you with sorrow after
sorrow so that you may not grieve over what has escaped you, nor over what had befallen
you. God, Who knows everything, is certainly aware of every motive behind every
action: God is aware of all that you do. (Verse 153)
A Trial for the Faithful
Then, after sorrow, He let peace fall upon you, in the shape of a slumber which
overtook some of you, while others, who cared mainly for themselves, entertained
wrong thoughts about God thoughts of pagan ignorance. They ask: Have we any
say in the matter? Say: All power of decision rests with God. They conceal in their
minds what they do not disclose to you. They say: Had we had any say in the matter,
we should not have been slaughtered here. Say: Had you stayed in your homes,
those of you who were destined to be killed would have gone to their deathbeds. For it
was Gods will to put to a test all that you entertain in your minds and to render pure
what you may have in your hearts, God is fully aware of what is in peoples bosoms.
(Verse 154)
All the chaos, confusion and panic which the defeat spread among the Muslim
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soldiers was followed by a remarkable sense of peace and security among the
believers who came back and rallied to the Prophets side. They were overtaken by a
gentle slumber which gave them personal reassurance. This exceptional
phenomenon is described in fine and gentle words: Then, after sorrow, He let peace fall
upon you in the shape of a slumber which overtook some of you.
There is no doubt that this was a remarkable phenomenon, a manifestation of
Gods grace when it is bestowed upon His servants. When slumber overtakes people
who are tired, exhausted and panicking, even for a brief moment, it brings about
remarkable results. It gives them reassurance and comfort in a way which we cannot
fathom and it makes of them different people altogether. I say this because I have
experienced it in a situation of extreme distress. I felt Gods grace in a way which no
human language can describe.
Ab alah reports: I lifted my head on the day of Uud to look around me.
Everyone of them was hanging down his head because of his drowsiness. In
another version, also reported by Ab. alah: We were overtaken by slumber in
our position on the day of Uud. My sword kept falling from my hand and I would
pick it up before it fell again and I picked it up a second time.
Of the others, the group with shaky faith, their main preoccupation was their own
interest. These had not purged their minds from ignorant concepts and they had not
submitted themselves totally to God. They did not experience the certitude that what
had befallen them was a test which did not represent an abandonment by God of His
servants, leaving them alone to face the might of His eminence. Nor was it a verdict
that he had passed to allow the non-Muslims and their evil to have final victory:
While others, who cared mainly for themselves, entertained wrong thoughts about God
thoughts of pagan ignorance. They ask: Have we any say in the matter?
Islam teaches its followers, among other things, that they have no say whatsoever
over themselves. They belong to God. When they go out on a campaign of jihad for
His cause, they dedicate themselves to God and fight for Him, having no personal
ambition whatsoever. What He has predestined for them is bound to happen and
they accept it with satisfaction and total submission.
Those who care only for themselves, to the extent that they are totally preoccupied
with their own interest and well-being, do not feel the true nature of faith deep at
heart. The Qurn describes them as worried, lost and confused. They think that they
have been pushed into the battle without having any say in it. Rather, they were put
to a severe test and had to pay a very heavy price. They did not truly know God, and
they entertained such thoughts about Him that they had carried with them from the
days of their pagan, ignorant past. These false notions included the idea that they
were pushed into the battle only in order to be killed, and that God did not intervene
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to save them from their enemies. Hence they ask: Have we any say in the matter? This
statement implies objection to the battle plan. Perhaps they were of the view that the
Muslims should have stayed in Madinah and never gone out to fight. Although they
did not desert with Abdullh ibn Ubayy and his followers, they, nevertheless, did
not have the reassurance of true believers.
Before this long verse continues with its accounts of their worries and thoughts, it
states the proper view with regard to what they questioned. It answers them with:
Say: All power of decision rests with God. Neither they, nor anyone else, has any say
in the matter. Prior to this, God said to the Prophet: You have no say in the matter.
Islam and the fighting for its establishment and the implementation of its way of life
on earth, or guiding peoples hearts to accept it, are matters which belong totally to
God. Human beings have nothing to do with them, except to fulfil their duties and to
leave their destiny in Gods hands.
The Qurn also reveals what they tried to conceal in their hearts: They conceal in
their minds what they do not disclose to you. They entertain all sorts of thoughts which
imply objection and protest. Indeed their question: Have we any say in the matter?
implies a protest that they have been pushed into a catastrophe which was not of
their own making and that they were the victims of unsound leadership. Had they
been conducting the battle, they would not have so suffered. They say: Had we had
any say in the matter, we should not have been slaughtered here.
This is the type of thought which those who have not dedicated themselves to
their faith feel when they face defeat in battle. When they find out that the price they
had to pay is much greater than they had imagined and that the effort is more
painful than they had expected. When they look deep into their hearts, they do not
have a clear vision and they imagine that the action taken by their leadership was
responsible for their defeat, which could have been averted had they had any power
of decision. With such a confused view, they cannot see that it is God Who
determines events and they cannot understand Gods purpose in exposing them to
such a test. To them, the whole matter is nothing but utter loss.
At this point, the Qurn states the correct concept of life and death, and the
purpose behind testing the believers: Say: Had you stayed in your homes, those of you
who were destined to be killed would have gone to their deathbeds. For it was Gods will to
put to the test all that you entertain in your minds and to render pure what you may have in
your hearts. God is fully aware of what is in peoples bosoms. Had you stayed at home
without responding to the battle cry, had you taken your own decisions concerning
the battle, those of you who were destined to be killed would certainly have met
their death, because death only takes place at the appointed time.
There is a bed to which every person must retire. At the appointed moment, the
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person concerned walks to his or her deathbed without the need for force or
direction from anyone.
The remarkable Arabic expression used here speaks, literally, of beds. The
graves in which people rest, and at which all endeavours end, is only a bed to which
they come with a subtle motive which they cannot fathom. That motive overtakes
them and determines their fate. It is far better and more comfortable for them to
submit totally to it, because it is Gods predestination. He has a purpose behind it: It
was Gods will to put to the test all that you entertain in your minds and to render pure what
you may have in your hearts.
There is nothing like a trial to reveal what is in peoples minds and to purge the
falsehood that is in their hearts. God wants the hearts of the believers to be purged so
that they entertain no false notions. All their concerns will be clear, with no trace of
confusion, God is fully aware of what is in peoples bosoms. That which is in a persons
bosom is a secret which is never allowed to see the light. However, God knows
everything that people may conceal in their hearts and He wants to reveal it to all
who harbour them. They themselves may not know those secrets until they are
shaken by events and laid bare for them to see.
Diverging Views of Life and Death
As for those of you who turned away on the day when the two hosts met in battle,
Satan caused them to slip only in consequence of something that they themselves had
done. But now God has pardoned them. Indeed, God is Much forgiving, Forbearing.
Believers, be not like those who disbelieve and say of their brethren, when they travel
on earth or go forth to war, Had they stayed with us they would not have died, nor
would they have been killed, so that God places a source of despair in their hearts. It
is God alone Who grants life and causes death. God sees all that you do. If you should
be slain or die in Gods cause, surely forgiveness by God and His grace are better than
all the riches they amass. If you should die or be slain, it is to God that you shall be
gathered. (Verses 155-8)
God was certainly aware of what was in the hearts of those who turned away in
defeat during the Battle of Uud. They weakened in consequence of a sin they had
committed. This caused them to be shaken. Satan was able to manoeuvre them into
making such a slip: As for those of you who turned away on the day when the two hosts
met in battle, Satan caused them to slip only in consequence of something that they
themselves had done. (Verse 155) This may be a reference to the archers who could not
resist the temptation of the loot being left behind by the retreating unbelievers. They
also entertained the thought that Gods Messenger might not give them a share of the
spoils of war. That was the sin they committed, in consequence of which Satan made
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them slip. This verse, however, describes man after having committed a sin: his
confidence weakens and his tie with God loosens. He loses balance and allows
himself to fall prey to all sorts of negative thoughts. Thus, Satan whispers in his ear
and leads him from one error to another, after he himself has left his safe refuge of
content and reassured faith.
Earlier, the srah mentioned the case of those believers who fought with prophets
in earlier times. The first thing they did before fighting was to pray for forgiveness of
their sins, because that prayer brings them back to God and strengthens their ties
with Him, removing any doubts and barring the way to Satans influence over them.
Satan always finds his way through mans moving away from Gods care and
protection.
God tells them that He bestows His grace on them and pardons them and does not
allow Satan to take them far away. He reminds them of His attributes and that He is
much forgiving, forbearing. He does not excommunicate sinners, nor does He visit
them with swift punishment if He knows that deep at heart they look up to Him and
want to maintain their bonds with Him.
The srah follows this with a statement of Gods determination of life and death. It
exposes the false concepts of the unbelievers and warns them against entertaining the
same thoughts. It then speaks of values which encourage the believers to be ready
and willing to make any sacrifices required of them.
The fact that these verses are included at this point in the srahs account of the
events of the battle, makes it clear that the hypocrites who withdrew from the
Muslim army before the battle and the idolaters living in Madinah who continued to
maintain ties and relations with the Muslims were the ones who expressed sorrow at
the loss of Muslim martyrs at Uud. Furthermore, they tried to make use of their
deaths, in order to whip up feelings of despair among their families and to
exaggerate the sense of loss which they maintained was the direct result of their
going forth to fight. There is no doubt that speaking in these terms when the sense of
loss among the Muslims was still acute was bound to increase confusion among the
Muslims. Hence, the Qurn dispels all confusion and provides the right criteria and
the correct concepts and values.
The unbelievers said of those who were killed in the Battle of Uud: Had they
stayed with us they would not have died, nor would they have been killed. (Verse 156)
Their statement, however, shows the great gulf between the concepts of those who
have faith and those deprived of it and the laws governing human life, whether
pleasant or unpleasant. A believer is aware of these laws and Gods will, and he
accepts it with reassurance because he knows that he will only get what God has
determined for him, and that what happens to him was bound to happen and what
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he may have missed, he could never have achieved anyway. Therefore, he neither
panics in a calamity, nor is he overwhelmed with joy when good fortunes smiles on
him. He does not regret not having done so and so in order to avoid something or to
ensure another. Any alternatives should be considered before taking action. Once
action is taken, after full consideration, and according to ones best knowledge and
within the framework of what God sanctions, the believer accepts any results with
satisfaction and reassurance. In other words, whatever happens must take place
according to Gods will. There was no way it could have been avoided, although it
was he himself who provided its causes. There is a perfect equilibrium between
action and acceptance of the results, between positiveness and reliance on God. A
person who does not have this type of straightforward faith in God will always
remain worried and hesitant, and will always say: If only ..., Had it not been
for..., I wish that ... and How sorrowful it is that...
As God cultivates the Muslim community and points to the lessons they must
learn from the Battle of Uud and what the Muslims suffered in it, He warns the
believers against doing the same thing as the unbelievers. Their sorrow borders on
despair every time a relative of theirs dies at work away from home or fighting for
Gods cause: Believers, be not like those who disbelieve and say of their brethren, when they
travel on earth or go forth to war, Had they stayed with us, they would not have died, nor
would they have been killed. They say this because they have a false concept of what
takes place in the universe and of the power behind it. They only see superficial
circumstances and reasons because they have removed themselves from God.
So that God places a source of despair in their hearts. They see their brethren
travelling abroad in order to earn their living and they die, and they see them going
forth to war and they are killed. They feel that in both cases, it was their setting out
that had brought about their death or caused them to be killed. They experience a
profound sense of sorrow that they did not prevent them from setting forth. They did
not appreciate the real reason, namely, that the life span of those who die was over,
their deathbeds beckoned them, and that everyone dies by Gods will. Had they
realised this, they would not have felt such immense sorrow. They would have
accepted what God has determined. It is God alone Who grants life and causes death.
He grants life and takes it back at the time He has appointed, whether people are at
their homes, with their families, or working to earn their living, or fighting for their
faith. He rewards people according to what He knows of them: God sees all that you
do.
Death, whether natural or in battle, does not represent the end. Life on earth is not
the best thing God bestows on people. There are other values and nobler
considerations: If you should be slain or die in Gods cause surely forgiveness by God and
His grace are better than all the riches they amass. If you shall die or be slain, it is to God that
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you shall be gathered. (Verse 157)
Viewed in this light, natural death or being killed fighting for Gods cause, is
better than life and superior to all the riches, position and authority people work for.
It is superior because it ensures Gods forgiveness and grace, and it is to attain these
two objectives that God directs the believers. They are not supposed to work for
personal glory or for material values. They are to seek what God has in store for
them and to work to ensure that God bestows His grace on them.
They will all be gathered to God, whether they die in their beds at home or
fending for themselves away from it, or fighting on the battlefield. That is the destiny
of all people. Their death comes at the appointed time and they are gathered to God
on the Day of Resurrection. They either receive Gods grace or suffer His
punishment. The most stupid of all is the one who deliberately chooses a miserable
destiny when he knows that he will inevitably die at the appointed time.
Thus, the true concept of life and death and Gods predestination becomes clear.
People are reassured whatever may happen.

217
9
The Prophets Message of
Compassion
It is by Gods grace that you deal gently with
them. Had you been harsh and hard-hearted,
they would surely have broken away from you.
Therefore, pardon them and pray for them to be
forgiven and consult with them in the conduct of
public affairs. When you have resolved about a
course of action, put your trust in God. God loves
those who put their trust in Him. (159)
If God helps you, none can overcome you; but if
He should forsake you, then who is it that can
help you besides Him? It is in God that the
believers should put their trust. (160)
It does not behove a Prophet to act dishonestly, for
he who acts dishonestly shall be faced with his
dishonesty on the Day of Resurrection. Everyone
will then be paid in full what he has earned, and
none shall be wronged. (161)
Can he who strives after Gods pleasure be
compared to one who has incurred Gods wrath
and whose abode is hell? How evil such a goal is.
(162)
They have different standings in Gods sight.
God sees all that they do. (163)
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218
Distinctive Marks of the Prophets Personality
It is by Gods grace that you deal gently with them. Had you been harsh and hard-
hearted, they would surely have broken away from you. Therefore, pardon them and
pray for them to be forgiven and consult with them in the conduct of public affairs.
When you have resolved about a course of action, put your trust in God. God loves
those who put their trust in Him. (Verse 159)
In the course of the srahs commentary on the Battle of Uud and the attitudes of
the Muslim community and other groups towards the way events developed both
prior to and during that battle, a few verses are included about the noble personality
of Muammad, Gods Messenger (pbuh) and the importance of his status as a
Prophet to the life of the Muslim community. This demonstrates much of the grace
God has bestowed on the Muslim community. While the Prophets personality is the
known theme of the following verses, certain lines also explain the Islamic method in
organising the Muslim community, the basis of this organisation, as well as some
basic elements of Islamic philosophy and its importance to human life generally.
We can appreciate the great aspect of Divine grace represented by the high moral
standards of the Prophet and his fine manners. He had an easy, gentle, lenient and
compassionate nature, which attracted people and established real bonds among
them. We also find in this short passage the basic principle governing the life of the
Muslim community, namely, consultative government. We have here a clear order to
implement this principle of consultation. It is worthy of note that this order is given
at a time when consultation appears to have led to bitter consequences. Coupled with
the principle of consultative government is that of firm resolution, of implementing,
without hesitation, whatever has been decided after consultation. To these two
principles is added the most important value of placing our trust in God. There is a
distinct conceptual, practical and organisational complementarity provided by these
three principles. Moreover, the essence of Gods will and predestination is explained
Indeed, God bestowed a favour on the believers
when He sent them a messenger from among
themselves, to recite to them His revelations, and
to purify them, and teach them the book and
wisdom, whereas before that they were surely in
plain error. (164)
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219
here. All matters start with Him and return to Him. His will is supreme in
conducting events and determining results. The passage also warns against treachery
and greed, and distinguishes between those who follow what pleases God and those
who incur His wrath. This provides a criterion with which to evaluate gains and
losses. The passage concludes by emphasising the great bounty God has bestowed on
this nation in the form of the message conveyed by the Prophet. Compared to this
bounty, everything else appears so small and all suffering can easily be tolerated.
hearted, they would surely have broken away from you. Therefore, pardon them and pray for
them to be forgiven and consult with them in the conduct of public affairs. When you have
resolved about a course of action, put your trust in God. God loves those who put their trust
in Him. At this point, the srah addresses the Prophet who must have felt uneasy
towards his people. Initially they had been enthusiastic to meet their enemy outside
Madinah. Shortly afterwards confusion crept into their ranks and one-third of the
army withdrew, before the battle had even commenced. Later, they disobeyed his
express order and yielded to the temptation of the loot. They weakened when they
heard the rumour of his death. Defeated at heart, they turned on their heels, leaving
him with a handful of his Companions and the net result was that he was wounded.
He remained steadfast at their rear, calling them to persevere, while they paid no
heed to anyone. The Divine address provides consolation to the Prophet and tells the
Muslims of Gods limitless grace, manifested in Him sending the Prophet to them. It
reminds them of the fact that God has shown them great mercy in giving the Prophet
a compassionate nature which makes peoples hearts turn towards him.
The purpose of this address is to enhance the Prophets compassion so that he
overcomes what disappointment he may feel at their actions. For their part, they will
realise how important it is to them that the Prophet is so compassionate. The Divine
address tells the Prophet to pardon his Companions and to pray to God to forgive
them. He is also called upon to take counsel with them on how important matters
should be conducted, in the same way as he consulted them. The consequences of
Uud must not be allowed to suspend or override the principle of consultative
government which is fundamental to Islamic life.
hearted, they would surely have broken away from you. Gods grace was indeed shown
to the Prophet and his Companions. It is demonstrated by the fact that the Prophet
himself had a compassionate nature which prompted him to take a lenient and gentle
attitude towards them. Had he been hard of heart, he would not have won their
hearts, nor would they have gathered around him.
People always need compassion, care, a cheerful face and patient forbearance
which is not exhausted by other peoples ignorance and weakness. People need
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someone with a large heart who gives them all he can but asks nothing of them, who
shares with them their worries without burdening them with his own. They need
someone who will always be caring, sympathetic, loving, content and forbearing.
Gods Messenger had all these characteristics and these were the distinctive aspects
of his life among his Companions. He was never angry with anyone; nor was he ever
impatient because of their weaknesses. Never did he take for himself anything of the
enjoyments of this world; on the contrary, he gave them all that he possessed with a
smile and a cheerful heart. His forbearance, compassion, care and sympathy were
extended to all. Everyone who came into contact with the Prophet was full of love for
him because of what he generously gave of his love.
All this was by Gods grace, which He extended to the Prophet and his followers.
God reminds them of this grace at this particular moment so as to build on it
something which is essential to the life of the Muslim community: Therefore, pardon
them and pray for them to be forgiven and consult with them in the conduct of public affairs.
Consultation: The Essence of Islamic Government
We have here a distinctive order: Consult with them on the conduct of public affairs.
This principle, which is basic to the Islamic system of government, is established
here, even when Muammad himself, Gods Messenger, is the one who conducts
public affairs. This is, then, a definitive statement which leaves the Muslim
community in no doubt that consultation is central to Islamic government. Without
it, no system is truly Islamic. What form this consultation takes and how the
principle is implemented are matters which can be adapted to the prevailing
conditions of any particular Islamic society. Any forms and mechanisms which
ensure that consultation is really, not superficially, practised are acceptable to Islam.
The decisive order, consult with them on the conduct of public affairs is issued by
God to the Prophet at a time when consultation appears to have produced bitter
results. Appearances suggested that it was due to consultation that disunity crept in
among the Muslims during the events leading to the Battle of Uud. By way of a
reminder, one group wanted the Muslims to stay in Madinah, where they could
easily repel any enemy attacks. Another group wanted to fight the unbelievers
outside the city. The resulting disunity was clearly apparent when Àbdullh ibn
Ubayy ibn Sall withdrew with no less than one-third of the army, when the enemy
was knocking at the gates of Madinah. Moreover, the plan adopted for the defence of
Madinah did not appear to be the most sound from a military point of view. It was at
variance with what had been learnt from past experience. The Muslims did, however
adopt the opposite strategy in the following battle, staying in Madinah and digging a
moat around it. Thus, they showed that they had benefited by the lessons of Uud.
221
The Prophet himself was not unaware of the serious consequences which would
result from moving out. As a prophet, whose dreams always came true, he had seen
in a dream that one of his own household would be killed, and that a number of his
Companions would fall in battle. He also said that the dream indicated that Madinah
was akin to an impregnable fortress. Under the circumstances, he was entitled to
overturn the decision made on the basis of consultation. However, he preferred to go
ahead with that decision because the practical establishment of the fundamental
principle of consultation, and allowing the Muslim community to learn hard lessons
through its implementation, was more important than avoiding temporary setbacks.
It would have been understandable if the Prophet, as the leader, had abrogated the
whole principle of consultation after the battle, in view of the division and defeat it
had caused. Islam was, however, cultivating a whole nation and preparing it to
assume its natural role of the leadership of mankind. God knew that the best method
to achieve that purpose was for the community to be educated through consultation
and to be trained to take responsibility for its decisions. It was expected to err, and
indeed to make serious mistakes, in order to learn how to correct its errors and to
face up to their consequences. How else could it be trained to make the right
decision? Losses can be borne if the net result makes the whole nation understand its
responsibilities and able to shoulder them. Avoiding errors does not benefit a
community, if it means that the community continues to enjoy supervision and
protection. True, it could avoid material losses, but it would lose its personality and
its ability to face up to all events. It would be in the same position as a child who is
not trained to walk so that it may be spared the falls involved in that training, or to
save the price of a pair of shoes.
It was necessary for Islam to allow the Muslim community to achieve maturity so
as to prepare it for its role of leadership. There was no alternative but to allow it to
practise its role, without patronage or protection, during the Prophets lifetime and
under his guidance. It may be suggested that the presence of wise leadership makes
consultation superfluous and should dispense with the practical training of the
Muslim community. Wise leadership should have been allowed to make its own
decisions on serious matters. Such an assumption is totally false. Had it been true,
the very presence of Muammad (pbuh), equipped with Divine revelation, would
have been sufficient to deprive the Muslim community at that time of its right to
consultation, especially in the light of its bitter consequences at Uud. Neither the
presence of Gods Messenger, equipped as he was with Divine revelation, nor the
events and complications that took place were enough to suspend the right of the
community to be consulted. God, limitless is He in His Glory, knew that consultation
must be practised in the most serious of matters, regardless of the consequences,
losses and sacrifices. All these were but a small price for the attainment of maturity
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by the Muslim community, its training in the conduct of its affairs, to bear its
responsibilities and accept the consequences of its decision. Hence the Divine
commandment at this particular point in the life of the young Muslim community:
Therefore, pardon them and pray for them to be forgiven and consult with them in the
conduct of public affairs. Thus, the principle is established, despite the risks that may
attend its implementation. The flimsy argument which is often raised in favour of
abrogating this principle of consultation is rejected outright. The maturity of the
nation cannot be achieved without putting this principle into effect. For the
community to achieve its maturity is far more important and far more valuable than
any loss that may be incurred in the process.
The true picture of the Islamic system does not appear complete unless we
examine the rest of the verse, to discover that consultation is never allowed to lead to
hesitation and delay. Nor does it replace the need to rely ultimately on God: When
you have resolved upon a course of action, put your trust in God. God loves those who put
their trust in Him.
The role of consultation is to examine all views and select a particular course of
action. When the process reaches this stage, consultation must give way to
implementation with resolve and decisiveness, placing trust in God. Thus, Gods will
determines the outcome as He pleases.
The Prophet not only gave the Muslim community the lesson of consultation, he
also gave it a second lesson as he willingly and seriously implemented the decision
made and placed his trust in God. He gave his order to the Muslims to get ready to
march and prepared himself to do so by putting on his body armour, even though he
was aware of what awaited them all in terms of suffering and sacrifice. As will be
recalled, there were those who feared that in all this they might have imposed on the
Prophet a course of action of which he did not approve. Therefore, they put the
matter back to him and assured him of their obedience whatever he decided.
Nevertheless, even with this second opportunity, the Prophet did not reverse his
decision. He wanted to teach them the whole lesson of consultation and resolve,
combined with complete reliance on God and submission to His will. He wanted
them to realise that there was a specific time for consultation, but once a decision was
taken there could be no room for hesitation and starting the process anew. That
could only perpetuate the state of indecision.
God loves those who put their trust in Him. This is a distinctive quality of the
believers. Reliance on God, putting our trust in Him and submitting to His will
constitute the final line which maintains the proper balance in Islamic philosophy
and Islamic life. Ultimate authority belongs to God and He does what He chooses.
This was one of the great lessons which the Battle of Uud taught the Muslim
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community. It remains a lesson to be learnt by every new generation of Muslims.
When Gods Help Is Withdrawn
In order to explain what placing ones trust in God means, the srah clearly states
that the power which determines victory or defeat is Gods. It is from Him that
support should be sought and through His help defeat is avoided. Once the believers
have made their preparations and mobilised all the forces they can muster, they turn
to God for help, rely fully on Him and recognise that they have no say in
determining the consequences. It is Gods will that determines the outcome: If God
helps you, none can overcome you; but if He should forsake you, then who is it that can help
you beside Him? It is in God that the believers should place their trust. (Verse 160)
The Islamic concept of life demonstrates the perfect balance between asserting that
Gods will is absolute in shaping all events and that it comes into operation through
mans own actions. The Divine law of nature establishes a cause and effect
relationship in all matters, but causes do not initiate effects. The operative force is
that of God, Who determines effects on the basis of causes according to His will. He
then requires man to work hard, fulfil his duties, and meet his obligations. It is in
relation to how far man discharges his responsibility that God determines the results.
This means that results and consequences will always be dependent on Gods will,
for it is He alone who brings them into being whenever and however He wills. An
equilibrium is thus established between the basic concept of a Muslim and his
actions. He works as hard as he can and knows that the results of his actions depend
on Gods will. To him, there is no inevitability in the cause and effect relationship,
because he does not claim that anything which God does is inevitable.
In the particular case of a military battle and its two possible results, victory or
defeat, the srah refers Muslims to Gods will and reminds them of His might. If God
helps them, then they cannot be overcome by any force, and if His help is not
forthcoming, then they will not be able to find anyone to bring them victory. This is
the absolute truth: there is no ability, power or will other than those of God, Who
determines all events. This basic truth, however, does not exempt Muslims from
following Gods method, obeying His directives and fulfilling their obligations,
exerting all efforts and relying, after all that, on God alone: It is in God that the
believers should put their trust. (Verse 160) Thus, a Muslim does not seek anything
from any source other than God. He has a direct relationship with the operative
power in the universe, which means that he is in no need of help or protection from
any other source. He relies totally on God to bring about events and results
according to His wisdom. As for him, he accepts what God determines with total
reassurance. This is a perfect bliss which no human being can experience except
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through Islam.
The srah refers again to the moral qualities associated with the Prophet, in order
to stress the importance of honesty and to forbid deceit and cheating. It reminds
people that they will have to account for their deeds and that everyone will be given
his fair reward: It does not behove a prophet to act dishonestly, for he who acts dishonestly
shall be faced with his dishonesty on the Day of Resurrection. Everyone will then be paid in
full what he has earned, and none shall be wronged. (Verse 161)
One of the reasons which tempted the archers in the Battle of Uud to abandon
their positions on top of the hill, was that they feared that the Prophet might not give
them a share of the spoils of war. Some of the hypocrites had earlier suggested that a
portion of the spoils of war the Muslims collected at Badr had disappeared. They
were so impudent as to even mention the Prophet by name in this connection. Here,
the srah delivers a general statement which makes it clear that no prophet could
ever act dishonestly. No prophet would take money, or a portion of the spoils for
himself or his family, or give one section of the army more of the spoils than another,
or commit any deceitful action whatsoever: It does not behove a prophet to act
dishonestly. This is inconceivable. Dishonesty is against the very nature of
prophethood; it is repugnant to all prophets. The use of the negative here does not
mean that it is not lawful for a prophet to act dishonestly, but to make it plain that it
is both inconceivable and impossible that a prophet would ever do so. A prophet is
by nature honest, just and well-contented. Hence, to be dishonest is to act against his
own nature. It is perhaps useful to add that according to the reading of Imm Al-
asan al-Bar of this verse, the passive voice is used here, which means that it is
totally unlawful that a prophet should be deceived, or that his followers allow
themselves to hide something from him. This interpretation fits perfectly with the
rest of the verse. Those who are dishonest and try to take something which belongs
to the public treasury, or keep for themselves what booty they may be able to lay
their hands upon, are issued with this fearful warning: He who acts dishonestly shall
be faced with his dishonesty on the Day of Resurrection. Everyone will then be paid in full
what he has earned, and none shall be wronged.
Imm Ahmad relates that Gods Messenger appointed a man called Ibn al-
Lutaibah, from the tribe of Azd, to collect zakt. When he had completed his mission,
he came back and said: This belongs to you, and this has been given to me as a gift.
Gods Messenger said from the pulpit: How is it that a person whom we send to
complete a certain assignment says: This belongs to you and this I have been given
as a gift? Let him stay in his parents home and find out whether any gift will be
given to him? By Him Who holds Muammads soul in His hand, anyone of you
who does this will come on the Day of Resurrection carrying that thing on his
shoulders, even though it may be a camel, a cow or a lamb making its particular
225
noise. The Prophet then lifted his hands until his armpits were visible and said: My
Lord, have I conveyed Your message? He repeated this three times. (Related by Al-
Bukhr and Muslim.)
Ab Umayyah reports: Gods Messenger mentioned dishonesty as he was
addressing us. He described how serious it was, and said: Let me not see anyone of
you on the Day of Resurrection carrying on his shoulder a camel making noise, and
say: Messenger of God, help me. I will then say to him: I have no power to help you
against Gods judgement. I have conveyed to you Gods orders. Let me not see any
one of you come on the Day of Resurrection carrying a snorting horse on his
shoulders, appealing to me: Messenger of God, help me. I will say to him: I cannot
help you against Gods judgement. I have conveyed to you His orders. Let me not
see anyone of you on the Day of Resurrection carrying a dumb load of gold and
silver on his shoulders and appealing to me: Messenger of God help me. I will say
to him: I cannot help you against Gods judgement. I have conveyed to you His
orders. (Related by Al-Bukhr, Muslim and Ahmad.)
The Prophet is reported to have said: Anyone who does an assignment for us and
conceals even a needle, or anything bigger, acts dishonestly. He will be faced with his
dishonesty on the Day of Judgement. A black man from the Anr (whose name is,
according to Mujhid, Sa`d ibn Ùbdah) said: Messenger of God, accept from me
what you have assigned to me. The Prophet said: What do you mean? He said: I
have heard what you have just said. The Prophet said: And I repeat it entirely:
Whoever does an assignment for us, let him bring it all, big or small. Let him take
what he is given and leave alone what he is not given. (Related by Muslim, Ahmad
and Ab Dwd.)
This Qurnic verse, in conjunction with the Prophets hadths, has worked
wonders in the moulding of the Muslim community, and made it unique in the value
it attaches to honesty and the repugnance with which it views deceit and cheating.
An ordinary Muslim may, in war, lay his hand on something valuable when no one
is watching him. If he does, he should take it to his commander, entertaining no
thought of keeping it for himself, so that he does not expose himself to what this
Qurnic verse says, and so that he does not meet the Prophet on the Day of
Resurrection in such a shameful condition. To a Muslim, the hereafter is a reality. He
cannot see himself coming face to face with the Prophet and standing in front of God,
as the Prophet has described. Hence, he knows that this will not happen. This is the
secret of his scrupulous nature. The hereafter is to him part of the reality he lives, not
a remote promise or threat. He entertains no doubt that everyone will be rewarded
for what he does, and that everyone will be paid in full what they earn.
In his comprehensive book on history, Al-abar reports that when the Muslims
conquered Al-Madin and collected the spoils of war, a man came with something
226
to give to the one in charge of those spoils. He and his assistants said: We have
never seen anyone like this man. None of our people can be compared to him. They
asked him: Have you taken any part of it for yourself? The man answered: By
God, had it not been for my fear of God, I would not have given it to you. They
asked him his name, but he said: I am not telling you or anyone else my name in
order to be praised. I praise God and I am content with His reward. When he left,
they sent one of them to follow him until he arrived in his camp. He enquired about
him and they learnt that he was called `mir ibn Àbd Qais.
After the Battle of Qdisiyyah, the spoils of war were sent to Ùmar in Madinah.
Included in them was the crown of the Persian Emperor and his throne. They were
priceless. Ùmar looked at them happily and said: Soldiers who tender this to their
ruler are certainly honest.
This is how Islam moulded the Muslim community. When we hear such stories,
we may think them legends. But the fact is that there is no legend in all this; it was
the plain reality.
A Great Favour Done to Believers
Within the framework of keenness to have a share in the spoils of war, which was
the direct cause of the defeat at Uud, and dishonesty in general, the srah
underlines the proper values, on which a believers attention must be focused: Can
he who strives after Gods pleasure be compared to one who has incurred Gods wrath and
whose abode is hell? How evil such a goal is. (Verse 162)
There is no doubt that Gods pleasure is the prize to be coveted, and the winning
of which determines whether ones efforts are profitable or end in utter loss. The gulf
is great between the one who pursues Gods pleasure until he wins it and the one
who ends up incurring Gods displeasure, which leads him to hell. The two have
greatly different standings with God: They have different standings in Gods sight.
(Verse 163) Each actually earns his position, which means that there is no favouritism
and none is wronged: God sees all that they do. (Verse 163)
This part of the srah concludes with a reference back to the personality of Gods
Messenger, his message, and the fact that it represents a great favour bestowed by
God on the believers: Indeed, God bestowed a favour on the believers when He sent them a
messenger from among themselves, to recite to them His revelations, and to purify them, and
teach them the book and wisdom, whereas before that they were surely in plain error. (Verse
164)
This reference to the Prophets role in bringing the Muslim community into
existence, and in moulding, educating and leading it out of a state of error to become
227
a nation endowed with knowledge, wisdom and purity is clearly emphasised. It is
typical of the Qurnic method of moulding the Muslim community that this
reference is made in the context of defeat, pain, and loss suffered at Uud. All
worldly gains, indeed all the riches of the world, and all the suffering and sacrifices
that the Muslims may be called upon to endure seem very petty compared with the
great favour God has done to mankind when He sent them His Messenger.
The practical effects of this favour, which can be seen in the life of the Muslim
community, are then mentioned: ... to recite to them His revelations, and to purify them,
and to teach them the book and wisdom, whereas before that they were surely in plain error.
These effects represent a total transformation of the Muslim community. God is
preparing this community to play a great role in the leadership of mankind, and this
requires that a messenger be sent to them. A nation with such a mission should not
be preoccupied with petty gains that it can make in a battle and should not be
reluctant to make sacrifices. Great goals cannot be achieved without sacrifice.
Indeed, God bestowed a favour on the believers when He sent them a messenger from
among themselves. The fact that God Almighty cared to send a messenger to a
particular species of His creation, is a favour which can only be motivated by His
limitless grace. It is a favour that cannot be returned in any way by the recipients.
Who are those human beings whom God has chosen for such grace, so as to be the
recipients of His revelations? Indeed, God bestows His grace on His creation even
when they have not earned that grace, and can never return it.
The favour is made even greater by the fact that this messenger is from among
themselves. We should reflect that the Qurnic text did not say a messenger from
them. For him to be from among themselves is especially significant, because it
identifies that the relationship between the believers and the messenger is one of
human souls, not a relationship between an individual and a race. The question is
not merely that the Prophet was one of them, it is far more significant than that. With
faith, they establish their unique relationship with the Prophet and a great position of
favour with God. That means that it is a double favour; sending the messenger, and
establishing the relationship which exists between believers and the Prophet.
The first and greatest of the effects of this favour on the lives of the believers is
referred to in the statement describing the Prophets role: To recite to them His
revelations. When we remember that God Himself addresses man with His own
words, to speak to him about His majesty, and to explain His attributes, and the
nature and qualities of Godhead, we may begin to appreciate how great Gods
favour is. Let man reflect that God tells him about himself, an insignificant creature.
He speaks to him about his life, feelings, actions and abilities in order to tell him
what brings about a truly happy life and what sets him on the way to achieving the
greatest of human goals, namely, admission to Paradise, which is far greater than the
228
heavens and the earth. Such a favour can come only from Gods grace, which is
infinite indeed.
God the Almighty has no need for mankind, or indeed for any creature. Man, on
the other hand, is poor and powerless. He needs God. But it is God Who bestows on
man His favours and grace, and calls on him to adopt what brings about a total
transformation in his life. Nothing that man can do is sufficient to thank God for His
grace.
The Purification of a Model Community
The role of the Messenger is also to purify them. This purification touches their
hearts, affects their homes, honour and worship, and characterises their lives,
community and social systems. He purges them of all traces of polytheism, idol
worship, and superstition and all that is associated with these, of rituals, habits and
traditions which are unworthy of man. Human life is thus purged of all traces of
ignorance and its effects on values, principles and social traditions.
Every type of ignorant community, including the Arabs at that time, entertained
its own evil aspects. These evils were highlighted by Ja`far ibn Ab lib, a cousin of
the Prophet, when he addressed Negus, the ruler of Abyssinia. A number of Muslims
had sought refuge in Abyssinia, but the Quraysh sent a delegation which requested
its ruler to extradite them. He called in the Muslim refugees to put their case. Their
spokesman, Ja`far, made his statement in the following terms:
We have been ignorant people who worshipped idols, ate carrion, committed all
gross indecencies, severed relations with our kinsfolk, were unkind to our
neighbours, and the strong among us usurped the rights of the weak. We continued
in this state of affairs until God sent us a Messenger from among ourselves, who was
known to us in respect of his good family position, and truthfulness, honesty and
integrity. He called upon us to worship God alone, associate no partners with Him,
to abandon what we and our forefathers used to worship alongside Him of stones
and statues. He has commanded us to be truthful in what we say, honest, kind to our
relatives and neighbours, and to refrain from sin and from killing one another. He
has forbidden us every aspect of indecency, perjury, devouring what belongs to
orphans, and accusing chaste women of committing adultery. He has bidden us to
worship God alone, associate no partners with Him, attend to our Prayers, spend in
charity [zakt], and fast.
Another aspect of the evil customs that prevailed in ignorant Arabia is described
by ìshah, the Prophets wife, as she gives this account of relations between the
sexes. This report is given in Al-Bukhrs ah, the most authentic collection of the
Prophets hadths: There were four types of relations between men and women in
229
the days of ignorance. One of these was the same as the marital relationships of
today: a man may make a proposal of marriage to another mans daughter or some
other girl in his charge. He pays her a dower and marries her. A second type was that
a man said to his wife after she finishes her menstrual period: Go to so and so ... [he
names a certain man] and get pregnant by him. He himself stops having intercourse
with her until she is manifestly pregnant by the man he named. When she becomes
heavy with the child, her husband may have intercourse with her if he so desires. He
resorts to this method because of his desire to have a son of superior blood. A third
form is that a number of men, less than ten, shared the same woman, every one of
them having intercourse with her. If she got pregnant and gave birth to a child, she
sent to them asking them to come over to her a few days after delivery. None of them
could absent himself from that meeting. She would say to them: You are aware of
what has passed between us. Now that I have given birth to a child, this child is the
son of .... She chose whoever she fancied to be the father. He could not disown that
child. The fourth type was that of prostitution. Any number of men may associate
with a woman who would not refuse anyone who came to her. Prostitutes used to
put some sort of a flag on their doors, to indicate that they welcomed any man. If
such a prostitute gave birth to a child, they collected some money for her and they
called in a physiognomist to determine the father of that child. The child was then
named after that man who did not decline to claim it.
This contemptible, derogatory state of affairs needs no comment. It is sufficient to
imagine a man sending his wife to another man to get pregnant by him, in the same
way as he sends his female camel or horse or other animal for good breeding. It is
sufficient to imagine a number of men, less than ten, having intercourse with the
same woman and then allowing her to choose one of them to be the father of her
child. As for prostitution, it is the same everywhere. In this particular case, however,
the child born to a prostitute is named after a particular adulterer. He finds no
disgrace in this and does not disclaim the child. Had it not been for Islam and its
purifying principles, the Arabs would have continued to live in such squalor.
All this, however, is only one aspect of the contempt which was preserved for
women in the pre-Islamic days of ignorance. In his valuable work, Islam and the
World, Abul-asan Àl Nadw says:
The lot of women was extremely lamentable in pre-Islamic Arabia. The right
of inheritance was denied to them. Widowed and divorced women were not
permitted to remarry. It was a common practice for the eldest son to take as
wives his fathers widows, inherited as property with the rest of the estate.
Discrimination was made against them even in matters of food, men
reserving certain dishes for themselves. Daughters were buried alive at birth.
Pride and poverty had introduced the abominable crime of female infanticide
230
among all the Arabian tribes. Haitham ibn Àd tells us that one out of every
ten men was guilty of it. Kind-hearted tribal chiefs often bought infant girls to
save their lives. Sa`saà says that before the dawn of Islam he had rescued as
many as 300 girls from that terrible fate by paying compensatory money to
their fathers. Sometimes a young girl who had escaped being killed at birth or
during childhood, due to her father being away from home or some other
reason, would be treacherously taken to a lonely spot by her father and done
to death. Several incidents of this nature were narrated from their past lives
by the companions of the Prophet after they had embraced Islam.
4

These accounts give us a glimpse of the evils from which Islam saved the Arabs
and purified them.
Idolatry and Human Dignity
All systems based on ignorance of God have their evils and debased practices.
Perhaps the most prominent among these in pre-Islamic Arabia was idol-worship as
described by Nadw:
The belief in an overruling Providence had grown very feeble among them
(the Arabs of pre-Islamic days). It was confined to a select few, while the
religion of the great mass of them was gross idolatry. The idols that had
originally been introduced to serve as devotional media had become elevated
to the status of divinity. Homage was still paid to one transcendent God, but
only verbally; in their hearts a host of deities were enthroned, whose
goodwill they sought to propitiate, and displeasure avert.
Each tribe, city, and locality had its own god. Al-Kalb has stated that every
household in Makkah had its own idol. When a Makkan started on a journey,
his last act at home would be to invoke the blessings of the family deity, and
the first thing he did on his return was to pay reverence to it.
People used to vie with one another in collecting idols and constructing
temples for them. Those who could afford neither planted a slab of stone in
front of the Ka`bah and performed the ritual of circumambulation around it.
Such stones were called ansb. In the words of Ab Rij al-Ùrid, as
reported in the ah of Al-Bukhr, We worshipped stones. When we found
a better stone than the one we had, we took it up and threw away the old one.
Where no stones were available, we made a mound of sand, milked a goat

4
Abul-asan Àl Nadw, Islam and the World, Lucknow, 1973, pp. 30-1. (The author has referred to
Shaykh Nadws Mdh Khasira al-`lam bi Init al-Muslimn, while the work cited by us is an
abridged English translation of the above Translators).
231
over it and worshipped it. When a traveller halted at a place, he used to
collect four stones, worshipped the most beautiful of them and used the other
three to rest his pots on for cooking.
Angels, stars, jinns (spirits) and all the rest of the objects of veneration found
in polytheistic faiths were adored as divine beings by the Arabs. The angels,
they believed, were daughters of God, whom they besought to intercede with
Him on their behalf, while jinns were regarded as partners of the Almighty in
the practical control of the world.
Al-Kalb says that Band Mal, a branch of the tribe of Khuzàh, worshipped
the jinns; and Sid reports that the tribe of imyar worshipped the sun; the
tribe of Kinnah adored the moon; the tribe of Tamm worshipped al-
Dabarn; the Lakhm and the Judhm, , Ban Qais and Ban Asad
worshipped Jupiter, Canopus, the Dog Star and Mercury, respectively.
5

A quick look at this crude, primitive form of polytheism is sufficient to give a
good idea of the sort of feelings, principles and practices it generated. We can also
appreciate the great transformation Islam managed to bring about in the lives of the
Arabs. It purified their thoughts and their lives of those evils which gave rise to the
sort of social and moral ills which prevailed in their society and in which they took
pride. Drinking, gambling and tribal vengeance were their highest preoccupations.
Countless poems boastfully described their indulgence in such practices. Shaikh
Nadw says in Islam and the World:
War, in some respects, was a necessity for them, but more than that, it was a
fun.... A most trivial incident could touch off a bitter inter-tribal war. The war,
for instance, between the descendants of Wil, Bakr and Taghlb dragged on
for full forty years. There were innumerable casualties in this war. An Arab
chief, Muhalhil, has depicted the consequences of this war thus: Both the
tribes have been exterminated; mothers have become childless; children have
become orphans; the flow of tears does not cease; the dead are not buried.
6

The same can be said of the war known as Dis and Al-Ghabr. What
caused this war to flare up was that Dis, a horse belonging to Qais ibn
Zuhair, was leading in a race arranged between the horses of Qais and
udhayfah ibn Badr, with bets placed on which horse will be the winner. A
tribesman of Asad, on instructions from udhayfah, hit the face of the
leading horse and this allowed other horses to catch up and pass him by. A
killing followed and vengeance was sought. Both tribes tried to revenge the

5
Ibid., pp. 29-30.
6
Ibid., pp. 31-2.
232
killing of their murdered children. Many were taken captive. Tribes were
displaced and thousands were killed.
All this was evidence of the fact that their lives had no worthy preoccupation.
They used up their energy in such trivialities. They never thought of what sort of role
they should play in improving human life. They had no faith to purify them from
such social evils. Without faith, people can easily sink to such debasement.
Ignorance remains the same. Every form of ignorance has its own manifestations
of debasement, regardless of where and when it exists. When people live without a
Divine faith or code to regulate their lives, they sink into some form of ignorance. We
can easily draw parallels between the ignorance prevalent in our modern world and
that which prevailed in pre-Islamic Arabia, or with other contemporary forms
elsewhere in the world. It was only through Islam that Arabia was saved from and
purified of that ignorance.
Humanity lives today in a great quagmire of vice. We have only to look at the
media, the cinema, the fashion industry, beauty competitions, dancing places, public
houses, and the widespread use of pornography in literature and art. Combined with
the fact that its economic system is based on usury, which entails a materialism that
motivates peoples greed and the desire to become rich, even if they have to resort to
cheating, embezzlement and other immoral methods. The moral and social fabric of
society is also undermined. Doubt and cynicism have affected every individual,
family, system and community. It is sufficient to cast a quick glance at all this to
realise that the ignorance which prevails in our own world is leading humanity to an
awful doom.
Mans humanity is wearing thin as people continue to seek animal pleasures.
Indeed, animals have a standard of life which is cleaner and purer. They are
governed by a serious law of nature which is applicable to them. They do not become
debased as man does when he breaks loose, away from faith and its discipline,
resorting to ignorance, from which God has saved him by His grace. God reminds
His servants of this favour in the verse which states: God bestowed a favour on the
believers when He sent them a messenger from among themselves to recite to them His
revelations, and to purify them, and to teach them the book and wisdom...
Nationalism and Islamic Identity
And to teach them the book and wisdom. Those addressed by this verse were
illiterate in every sense of the word. Not only did they not read and write, but their
illiteracy was intellectual as well. According to international standards of knowledge,
they lagged behind in every field. Their preoccupations were not of the sort which
233
encouraged or increased knowledge. When they received this message, they
experienced a great transformation which made them pass it on to the rest of the
world. It endowed them with great wisdom. They became the standard-bearers of an
intellectual and social philosophy which was destined to save humanity from the
depths of ignorance into which it had sunk. The same doctrine is about to play its
role again, God willing, to save humanity anew from its contemporary ignorance, an
ignorance which shares with past forms the same moral and social characteristics, as
it sets the same goals and objectives for human life, despite the great material
advances of science and industry and the affluence such advances have brought
about.
Whereas before that they were surely in plain error. They were certainly in error with
regard to concepts and beliefs, goals and objectives, habits and practices, systems and
standards, as well as moral and social values. The Arabs, addressed for the first time
by this verse, undoubtedly remembered what their lives were like and fully
appreciated the total transformation brought about by Islam. They recognised that
without Islam they would never have attained the high standards to which Islam
elevated them. Such a transformation is totally unique in human history. They
recognised that it was through Islam that they moved directly from the tribal stage,
with all its petty concerns and narrow-mindedness, to become not merely a nation in
the fullest sense of the word, but a nation to lead humanity and to set for it its ideals
and systems.
They recognised that only through Islam had they acquired their national,
cultural, and intellectual character. Most importantly, Islam gave them their human
character, which elevated them to a position of honour through Gods grace. They
established their whole life on the basis of this honour and, subsequently, imparted it
to the world, and taught it how to respect man and give him the position of honour
God has granted him. In this they were the leaders. There was no one ahead of them,
not in Arabia, not anywhere. The reference to consultative government which we
discussed earlier brings out one aspect of this Divine system.
They also realised that only through Islam had they a message to present to
mankind. It involved a doctrine and a system by which to mould human life. All
these are basic essentials for the existence of a nation which wants to play an
important role on lifes stage.
The Islamic faith, its concepts of life and existence, its laws and regulation of
human life, and its practical code which ensures mans happiness, were the
credentials which the Arabs presented to the world and by which they earned the
respect and leadership of mankind. Neither at present nor in future will they ever
have any other credentials. They have no message other than Islam to give them a
position in the world. The choice they have to face is either to be the standard-bearers
234
of the message of Islam, through which they earn recognition and honour, or to
abandon it and go back to their earlier position when no one recognised them. The
Arabs should ask themselves what they can give to humanity when they abandon
the message of Islam.
Do they offer any great achievements in literature and art? Many nations are far
ahead of them in these fields, which are of secondary importance. Nations of the
world will not wait for any Arab genius to make his contribution, because the need
for such a contribution is not felt by anyone. Can they offer any great industrial
advance to win the respect of the world and to compete in international markets?
Many a nation has taken the lead over the Arabs in this respect as well. Or can they
offer any social, economic, or organisational philosophy of their own? Such
philosophies, with varying practical effects, are abundant in our world. What can the
Arabs, then, give to mankind in order to win a leading position which commands
respect and demonstrates their excellence? They can offer nothing except their great
message and unique system. This is the great favour which God has bestowed on
them and favoured them with as its standard-bearers. It is the message with which
God saved mankind from ignorance. Today, mankind desperately needs this
message to save itself from the abyss of misery and worry into which it is sinking.
This message is the identity card of the Arabs, which they presented to the world
in the past, and thereby commanded its respect. They can present it anew in order to
save themselves and save the world. Every great nation has a message, and the
greatness of the nation is commensurate to the greatness of its message and system.
The Arabs have this great message in their custody. They are its standard-bearers,
while other nations are their partners in it. What devil turns them away from their
great role and their infinite wealth? It is their duty to chase the devil and resist his
temptation and render his actions hopeless and futile.

235
10
Priorities Defined
Why, when a calamity befell you, after you had
inflicted twice as much [on your enemy], did you
exclaim, How has this come about? Say: It
has come from your own selves. Surely, God has
the power over all things. (165)
That which befell you, on the day when the two
hosts met in battle, happened by Gods leave, so
that He may mark out the true believers. (166)
And [He might] mark out the hypocrites. When
these were told, Come, fight in Gods cause, or
Defend yourselves, they answered, Had we
known there would be a fight, we would certainly
have followed you. On that day they were nearer
unbelief than faith, uttering with their mouths
something different to what was in their hearts,
but God knew full well all that they tried to
conceal. (167)
Such were they who, having themselves stayed
behind, said of their brothers: If only they had
listened to us, they would not have been slain.
Say to them: Ward off death from yourselves,
then, if what you say be true. (168)
Do not think of those who are slain in Gods
cause as dead. They are alive, and well provided
for by their Lord. (169)
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236
Happy they are with what God has granted
them. They rejoice that those [of their brethren]
who have been left behind and have not yet joined
them have nothing to fear, nor have they [cause] to
grieve. (170)
They rejoice in the happy news of Gods blessing
and bounty, and in the fact that God will not
suffer the reward of the believers to be lost. (171)
Those who responded to the call of God and the
Messenger after misfortune had befallen them: a
great reward awaits those of them who continued
to do good and feared God. (172)
When other people warned them: A big force
has gathered against you, so fear them, that only
strengthened their faith and they answered: God
is enough for us; He is the best Guardian.
(173)
So they earned Gods grace and bounty, suffering
no harm. For they had striven to please God,
Whose bounty is limitless. (174)
It is but Satan who prompts people to fear his
allies: so, have no fear of them, but fear Me if you
are truly believers. (175)
Be not grieved by those who hasten on to disbelief.
They cannot harm God in any way. It is Gods
will not to assign to them any share in the
[blessings of the] life to come. A great suffering
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237
Gods Will and Mans Doing
The srah speaks of the Muslims surprise at the turn of events, which betrayed
their nave concept of life. Soon, however, experience told them to look at the
realities of life and how the laws of nature work. They realised that anyone who does
not conform to nature and its laws should expect no preferential treatment. People
must adapt themselves to the seriousness inherent in the nature of the universe, life
and fate. The srah brings them back to reality as it explains to them that what has
befallen them is the result of their own doing. But this is not all. Behind cause and
effect lies Gods predestination, and beyond the laws of nature lies Gods free will.
The purpose of what happened is explained to them so that they learn how God
directs events in the believers favour to serve the cause which they advocate. It was
an experience which made them better equipped to face what was bound to come, to
put them through a serious test in order to sift their ranks and to mark out the
hypocrites who were able to betray them. The whole affair, then, was part of the
awaits them. (176)
Indeed, those who have bought disbelief at the
price of faith cannot harm God in any way. A
grievous suffering awaits them. (177)
Let not those who disbelieve imagine that Our
giving them rein bodes well for their own souls.
We only give them rein so that they may grow in
sinfulness. A humiliating suffering awaits them.
(178)
It is not Gods purpose to leave the believers in
your present state except to set apart the bad from
the good. And it is not Gods purpose to reveal to
you what is kept beyond the reach of human
perception. But God favours from among His
messengers whomever He wills. Believe, therefore,
in God and His messengers. If you believe and
are God-fearing, you shall have a great reward.
(179)
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l Ìmrn (The House of Ìmrn) | PRIORITIES DEFINED
238
accomplishment of Gods will. They were thus able to view the event in its totality,
equipped with this Qurnic explanation: Why, when a calamity befell you, after you
had inflicted twice as much [on your enemy], did you exclaim, How has this come about?
Say: It has come from your own selves. Surely, God has the power over all things. That
which befell you, on the day when the two hosts met in battle, happened by Gods leave, so
that He may mark out the true believers. (Verses 165-6)
God has committed Himself to grant victory to those who support His cause and
fight to defend His faith. He, however, has made the granting of victory conditional
upon certain things: that the whole concept of faith be deeply entrenched in their
hearts, that the practical implications of faith manifest themselves in their
organisation and behaviour and that they equip themselves with all the means
necessary to achieve victory and exert their maximum effort. This is the law of nature
which God has set in operation and which favours no one. When the believers fall
short of meeting any of these conditions, they have to accept the consequences. The
fact that they are Muslims and believers does not mean that the laws of nature
should be suspended or abrogated for their sake. They are Muslims because they
submit themselves to God and conduct their lives according to the laws of nature
God has set in operation. This means, in practice, that they achieve harmony between
their nature as human beings and the laws of nature.
That they are Muslims is a fact which does not remain inconsequential. They
submit themselves to God, raise His banner and determine to obey Him and conduct
their lives according to His constitution. All that will eventually turn their errors and
shortcomings to good effect after they bear any sacrifice or pain attendant on them.
Their mistakes become lessons and experiences which have their good effect. They
make their faith pure and their submission clearer. Their ranks are purged of those
whose faith is suspect. They are better equipped to achieve the ultimate victory.
Thus, Gods mercy and care are not withheld from the Muslims.
Indeed, they provide them with what they need to continue along their way,
despite all the hardships they may have to face.
It is with such clarity and seriousness that the questioning and surprise of a
Muslim community are answered. Both the immediate cause, the actions of the
Muslim community, and the ultimate purpose, Gods design, are explained. The
hypocrites, on the other hand, are shown the fact that death is inevitable and cannot
be avoided by staying at home at the time of battle: Why, when a calamity befell you
after you had inflicted twice as much [on your enemy], did you exclaim: How has this come
about?
At Uud, the Muslims suffered a serious setback, losing 70 martyrs in addition to
all the pain they experienced on that difficult day. They found the setback hard to
swallow, considering that they were the believers who were fighting in defence of
239
Gods cause. Yet those very Muslims had, prior to this setback, inflicted twice as
many losses on their enemy. In the Battle of Badr, they inflicted similar damage on
the idolaters when they killed 70 brave warriors of the Quraysh. They achieved a
similar feat at Uud, when they were following the express orders of the Prophet.
But then they weakened before the temptation of the loot and entertained thoughts
which must never be entertained by believers.
God reminds them of all this as He answers their questioning surprise. He
attributes what happened to them to its immediate cause: It has come from your own
selves. It is you who have weakened and entered into dispute. It is you who have
failed to fulfil the conditions set by God and His Messenger, and it is you who have
succumbed to greed. It is you who have disobeyed Gods Messenger and failed to
implement his battle plan. What has happened to you, to your surprise, has come
from your own souls, because the laws of nature set into operation by God have to
apply to you. The laws of nature apply to all human beings, believers and
unbelievers alike. Such laws are not suspended for a believers sake. His faith is not
complete unless he conducts his life according to Gods laws.
Surely, God has the power over all things. It is part of His overall power that His
law should remain in operation and that matters must continue according to His will.
The laws He has devised for the universe and for human life must continue as they
have been set.
Nevertheless, Gods will in this whole affair was accomplished for a definite
purpose of His own. We must not forget that Gods will lies beyond everything that
takes place and every movement and action in the whole universe: That which befell
you, on the day when the two hosts met in battle, happened by Gods leave. It has not taken
place by mere coincidence or for idle play. Every movement and every action takes
place according to a definite plan, with its causes and effects well reckoned. They
indeed take place according to the laws of nature which must remain in operation,
but in their total sum they accomplish Gods purpose and complete the total design
of the universe as God created it.
The Islamic view with regard to this whole issue is both comprehensive and well
balanced and is not matched by any other view human beings have ever entertained.
Human life exists according to a consistent constitution and unavoidable rules,
and beyond these lies Gods active and free will. Yet all these are also subject to His
wisdom which determines every thing that takes place. Thus the constitution
governs all, and the rules apply to everything, including man. By his choice of action
and what he determines, initiates and does, man makes himself subject to these rules
which are bound to affect him. All this, however, takes place in accordance with
Gods will and fulfils His purpose. On the other hand, mans own will, thought,
240
action and movement are part of the constitution and the rules God has set in the
universe. He accomplishes with them what He wills. There is no conflict between
these and the rules of nature God has set in operation. Such a conflict exists only in
the minds of people who put Gods will and action against those of man, weighing
the one against the other.
That way of thinking is contrary to the Islamic outlook. According to Islam, man is
neither equal nor an enemy to God. Indeed when God granted man his constitution,
intellect, will, freedom of choice and action, He placed nothing of this in conflict with
His own will or laws. Nor did He allow these to serve a purpose other than His
overall purpose in the whole universe. He only made it part of His will that man
should reflect and decide, take action and produce an effect, be liable to Gods rules
and laws and bear the full consequences of all that. These consequences may bring
him pleasure or pain, comfort or trouble, happiness or misery. But behind all that
stands Gods free will that encompasses everything in perfect coherence.
What happened in the Battle of Uud provides a good example of what we have
just said about the way Islam views all matters.
God has explained to the Muslims His rules and conditions which bring them
victory or cause defeat. They paid no heed to those rules and, consequently, suffered
pain, hardship and defeat. But the matter did not stop there. Their disobedience and
their pain contributed to the fulfilment of Gods purpose of testing their community
so as to mark out the true believers, give them a clear outlook and help them
overcome their weakness, and also identify the hypocrites.
All this will ultimately be of benefit to the Muslim community, despite the pain
and suffering. It all works in accordance with Gods rules and laws. That gives
believers who submit themselves to God and follow the way of living He has laid
down an assurance that His help and care are forthcoming. By the same token, their
errors are ultimately turned to their benefit, because the suffering such errors cause
them becomes a means for proving their metal and educating them.
On such solid grounds the believers stand comfortably. They are reassured, free of
worry and confusion as they face Gods will and interact with His laws. They feel
that God determines what He wills concerning them and others. They are merely one
of the tools God employs to fulfil His purpose. Whatever they do, right or wrong,
and all that results from it remain in full harmony with Gods will and fulfils His
purpose. It will all benefit them in their life: That which befell you, on the day when the
two hosts met in battle, happened by Gods leave, so that He may mark out the true believers.
And (He might] mark out the hypocrites. When these were told, Come, fight in Gods cause,
or Defend yourselves, they answered, Had we known there would be a fight, we would
certainly have followed you. On that day they were nearer unbelief than faith, uttering with
their mouths something different to what was in their hearts, but God knew full well all that
241
they tried to conceal. (Verses 166-7)
This verse refers to the attitude of Àbdullh ibn Ubayy ibn Sall and those who
joined him. They are described here as the hypocrites. Their true feelings became
clear for all to see. They were marked out by their true attitude: On that day they were
nearer unbelief than faith. They lied when they protested that they only went back
because they felt there would be no fight between the Muslims and the unbelievers.
That was in no way their real reason. The fact is that they were uttering with their
mouths something different to what was in their hearts. Their hearts were infested with
hypocrisy which meant that they placed their own considerations above those of
faith.
This is indeed true, because what Àbdullh ibn Ubayy was thinking about that
day was the fact that the Prophet did not follow his counsel, and that the arrival of
the Prophet and his Companions in Madinah deprived him of the position of overall
leader his people were preparing for him. Instead, the leadership belonged to faith
and the messenger preaching it. These facts were indeed behind the desertion of
Àbdullh ibn Ubayy and his followers when the unbelievers were at the gates of
Madinah. That is indeed the reason for their refusal to listen to Àbdullh ibn Àmr
ibn arm when he said to them: Come, fight in Gods cause, or Defend yourselves:
They said they did not think a fight would take place anyway. But the truth about
them is made clear by God Himself: God knew full well all that they tried to conceal.
The srah continues to uncover the true nature of their attitude which aimed to
spread a state of confusion and perplexity in the Muslim ranks: Such were they who,
having themselves stayed behind, said of their brothers: If only they had listened to us, they
would not have been slain. (Verse 168) They did not merely stay behind when the
battle was imminent, with all the confusion and turmoil that resulted from their
desertion. What made things worse was that Àbdullh ibn Ubayy was still thought
to be an honourable man. His hypocrisy was not yet known. God had not until that
point identified him as a hypocrite, which would have much detracted from his
standing among his people. They continued to raise doubt, sow discord and nurture
feelings of regret, particularly among the families of those who died in battle. Such
were they who, having themselves stayed behind, said of their brothers: If only they had
listened to us, they would not have been slain.
In this way they tried to show their own desertion as both wise and beneficial,
while obeying the Prophet was shown to be disadvantageous and causing harm.
Furthermore, they undermined the clear Islamic concept of Gods will, which makes
it inevitable that every person dies at his or her appointed time, according to Gods
will. Hence, the Qurnic statement answers them with an irrefutable argument that
makes clear all the issues involved: Say to them: Ward off death from yourselves, then, if
what you say be true. (Verse 168) Death affects everyone: the fighter in the battlefield
242
as well as the deserter, the brave man and the coward. It can neither be prevented by
taking precautions, nor delayed by cowardice or the evasion of risk. It is this fact that
the Qurn puts to them plainly and clearly, thereby foiling all their wicked plotting,
reassuring the Muslims and giving them all the comfort faith provides.
A very interesting point in the Qurnic review of the events of the battle is that
Àbdullh ibn Ubayys desertion, which occurred before the battle had even started,
is commented on only at this point. Bringing it up so late in the discussion illustrates
an important feature of the Qurnic method of educating the Muslim community. It
starts with establishing the main rules which formulate the Islamic outlook,
illustrating the proper feelings nurtured in a Muslim heart and explaining the criteria
by which Islamic values come into play. When the Qurn has done that, it makes
this reference to the hypocrites, showing their action and how they subsequently
behaved. By this time, we are well prepared to evaluate their action and understand
how far removed it is from proper Islamic values. This is the right sequence and
progress: to establish the right values and standards first, then to evaluate actions
and behaviour according to them in order to arrive at the right conclusions.
There may be another purpose for delaying the reference to the desertion, namely,
and that is to show that the deserters, particularly their chief, are viewed with
contempt. He is not mentioned by name, so that he may sink into insignificance as
one of the hypocrites. In the scales of faith, he and his action are not worth more
than this humiliating reference.
The srah then tackles another highly important matter with far- reaching effects.
That is the fact that martyrs killed in the defence of Gods cause are not dead; they
continue to live and they receive what they need from their Lord. They continue to
interact with the Muslim community and the events affecting it after they have
departed. Such interaction is the most important aspect of continued life. Thus the
life of the Uud martyrs is strongly linked to the events that followed their
martyrdom before the srah describes the attitude of the true believers. These were
the ones who responded to God and His Messenger after they had suffered the
calamity of defeat. They immediately chased the Quraysh army so as to prevent any
possible attempt by that army to attack Madinah. They paid little heed to other
peoples warnings that the Quraysh were marshalling large forces to attack them.
They placed their trust in God and thus gave practical credence to their declaration
of belief in Him: Do not think of those who are slain in Gods cause as dead. They are alive,
and well provided for by their Lord. Happy they are with what God has granted them. They
rejoice that those [of their brethren] who have been left behind and have not yet joined them
have nothing to fear, nor have they [cause] to grieve. They rejoice in the happy news of Gods
blessing and bounty, and in the fact that God will not suffer the reward of the believers to be
lost. (Verses 169-71)
243
Having reassured the believers and established the true facts concerning death
and the Divine will, the srah adds to the reassurance of the believers by describing
the fate of the martyrs who are killed while defending Gods cause. Indeed that is the
true meaning of a martyr, for there is no martyrdom except that achieved through
defending Gods cause, and dying in the process. These martyrs are indeed alive,
having all of the essential qualities of life. They receive their needs from their Lord,
are happy with the grace God bestows on them, rejoice at the happy news of what is
to befall their brethren whom they had left behind, and they witness the events of the
Muslim community. Such are the qualities of the living. Why should we, then, be
distressed at their departure, when they are indeed interacting with those who are
alive? But they have much more than this interaction. They have all that God
bestows on them of His grace. Why do believers, then, create untrue separations
between a living martyr and his people whom he has left behind, between this world
and the world beyond, when there should be no such separation in their thoughts as
in both worlds they deal with God.
To clarify this fact is of central importance in the formulation of ones overall
understanding. Indeed it initiates a Muslims perception of the universe, what takes
place in it, as well as life in its various stages. Death is not the end of all life, as other
people believe. Indeed it does not even represent a barrier between what comes
before it and what comes after it.
Do not think of those who are slain in Gods cause as dead. They are alive, and well
provided for by their Lord. This verse gives an order not to think of people killed while
serving Gods cause as dead, even though they have departed from this world and
are no longer seen by the living. It gives also an assurance that they are very much
alive, with their Lord. The verse then gives a list of the aspects of life they have. The
first of these is that they are well provided for.
In this life, we do not know what type of life martyrs have, except for whatever
the Prophet has told us in authentic adths. Nevertheless, this true statement by God,
Who knows all, is sufficient as a basis for us to fundamentally change our views of
life and death, what separates them and what joins them together. It is enough to tell
us that things need not be as they appear. Hence when we formulate our conceptions
of absolute facts on the basis of their apparent features, we will not be able to arrive
at a perfect understanding of such facts. It is infinitely better for us to wait for the
right explanation of these facts from the One Who knows them all, God the
Almighty.
Here the srah tells us about people from among us who are slain, depicting a life
which is familiar to us in its visible aspects. However, because they are slain in Gods
cause, and because they have purged their thoughts and feelings of everything else
while their souls look up to God and are sacrificed for His sake, God tells us that they
244
are alive, not dead. He forbids us to think of them as dead, assuring us that they are
with Him, well provided for, and that they receive His bounty in the same way as the
living. He then tells us about other qualities of their life. Thus we learn that they are
happy with what God has granted them. They are certainly pleased with what is
given to them by God, because they know that it is part of His grace. Hence it is, for
them, an evidence of the fact that He is well pleased with them.
Moreover, they think about their brethren whom they have left behind, rejoicing at
their prospects, because they know that God is pleased with those who strive to
serve His cause: They rejoice that those [of their brethren] who have been left behind and
have not yet joined them have nothing to fear, nor have they [cause] to grieve. They rejoice in
the happy news of Gods blessing and bounty, and in the fact that God will not suffer the
reward of the believers to be lost. That is a complete picture showing them as
continuing to be concerned with their brethren, feeling happy with what they have
and reassured about the prospects of their brethren. What qualities of life do they,
then, miss? How are they separated from those who are left behind? Why should
their departure be an occasion of sadness and grief when it is one of happiness and
pleasure?
These verses provide a complete transformation of the reality of death, when it
comes about in the course of dedication to Gods cause, and the feelings associated
with it among the fighters themselves and those who are left behind. The outlook on
life gives it a far wider expanse than the present fleeting one. Indeed this wider
outlook strengthened the believers in all generations. It steadied their footsteps as
they sought martyrdom for Gods cause. Hence, the history of Islam portrays
countless examples of the type of believers ready to sacrifice their lives for their faith.
Some of these examples have been given at the beginning of our commentary on the
events of the Battle of Uud.
The Fruits of Total Dedication to Islam
Now the srah moves on to tell us about the believers who are concerned with
the martyrs and rejoice at what is held in store for them by their Lord: Those who
responded to the call of God and the Messenger after misfortune had befallen them: a great
reward awaits those of them who continued to do good and feared God. (Verse 172)
The Prophet called upon those who had fought in the Battle of Uud to turn out
for battle duty with him the following day. They were wounded and exhausted; they
had barely escaped death. They were still living the horrors of the battle and the
humiliation of defeat. They had lost some of their finest and dearest, were weaker
because of their wounds, and also less in number.
Nevertheless the Prophet called them up, and called them in person. He did not
245
allow any new recruits to join this second expedition, which might, some would say,
have reinforced the Muslim fighting force. They responded to the Prophets call,
which was, in essence, a call by God, as the verse makes absolutely clear. Their
response was immediate, positive and favourable, despite their misfortune and
wounds.
The fact that Gods Messenger singled out those who had actually fought at Uud
for this new call is particularly significant. Perhaps the Prophet did not wish the
feelings of defeat and misfortune to be the last that remained with the Muslims after
the battle. He called on them to chase the Quraysh in order to drive home to them
that all that had happened was merely a test and an experience which was not the
end of the matter. They remained strong while their victorious enemies were weak. It
was an experience which was certain to be followed by victory once they had shaken
off their weakness and failure, and responded to the call issued to them by God and
His messenger.
As a corollary, the Prophet may have decided that the Quraysh should not leave
the battlefield overjoyed and boastful at their victory. He, therefore, followed the
Quraysh so as to make it clear to them that they had not caused any permanent
damage to the Muslims; there still remained enough of them to chase off the Quraysh
army. Those objectives were fulfilled, according to historical reports.
The Prophet might have also wished to make clear to the Muslims and to all
mankind the birth of a faith that meant everything to its adherents. They had
absolutely no aim or objective in their lives other than to serve the cause of their
faith. They lived for it and they looked to nothing beyond it. They spared nothing of
themselves. They offered all as a sacrifice for their faith. This was a new phenomenon
the like of which had never been seen before. It was necessary that all mankind
realised this after the believers themselves had realised it. Nothing could reflect the
birth of this faith better than the marching of those who responded to Gods call after
misfortune had befallen them. Their march was both spectacular and awesome. It
clearly reflected the fact that they relied totally on God. They did not care for
peoples scaremongering about the size of the Quraysh host as told by the
messengers sent by Ab Sufyn, the chief of the Quraysh.
Similarly, the hypocrites depicted the Quraysh as extremely mighty. Those
believers, however, cared nothing for all this: Those who responded to the call of God
and the Messenger after misfortune had befallen them: a great reward awaits those of them
who continued to do good and feared God. When other people warned them: A big force has
gathered against you, so fear them, that only strengthened their faith and they answered:
God is enough for us; He is the best Guardian. (Verses 172-3) In this way, the Muslim
community declared in the clearest of terms the birth of this faith. The wisdom
behind the Prophets plan is now clearly apparent to us.
246
Nothing to Fear from Satans Allies
The pain and the grief suffered by the Muslims at Uud has been recorded by the
Prophets biographers. Muammad ibn Isq reports the following:
One of the Prophets Companions from the Anr clan of Àbd al-Ashal who
fought in Uud reports: My brother and I were at Uud with Gods messenger.
Both of us came back wounded. When we heard the Prophets call to us to come out
and chase the enemy, I said to my brother, or perhaps he said to me: Can we miss an
expedition led by Gods messenger? By God, we have no animal to ride and both of
us are wounded and can hardly move. Nevertheless, we went out with the Prophet.
My wounds were less serious than those of my brother. When he could no longer go
on, I would carry him for some distance, until we reached the same destination as the
rest of the Muslim soldiers.
The second report mentions that the Battle of Uud took place on Saturday, the
middle day of the month of Shawwl. On the following day, Sunday the 16th of
Shawwl, the call of the Prophet was made to people to go out and chase the enemy.
The message was also made clear: only those who had attended the battle the day
before were to come out. However, one of the Prophets Companions called Jbir ibn
Àbdullh ibn Àmr, sought special permission to join the army. He said: Messenger
of God, my father ordered me to stay behind to look after my seven sisters, saying:
My son, it does not behove you or me to leave these women without a man to look
after them. Moreover, I am not one to allow you to have the privilege of fighting
alongside Gods Messenger and deny myself that privilege. Therefore, you stay
behind and look after your sisters. I did as he asked. The Prophet gave Jbir special
permission to join him.
Such fine examples confirm the birth of this great faith in those hearts who
recognise no one other than God as a guardian and whose faith is strengthened at
time of hardship. When they are told that people are gathering forces against them,
their answer is: God is enough for us; He is the best Guardian. The practical outcome is
the fulfilment of Gods promise to those who rely on Him and dedicate themselves to
His cause: ... so they earned Gods grace and bounty, suffering no harm. For they had
striven to please God. (Verse 174) They were saved, suffering no harm, but enjoying
Gods pleasure. That is indeed a manifestation of Gods grace and bounty. This
statement emphasises the primary cause of what God may bestow. It all comes
through Gods grace and out of His bounty, with which He favours whomever He
pleases. It is true that their attitude was uniquely splendid, but nevertheless, it is
through Gods grace that all bounty is bestowed.
Gods bounty is certainly limitless. God records their attitude in His immortal
247
book, with His own words echoed throughout the universe. As we contemplate this
attitude and the picture so drawn, we feel that the whole community went through a
fundamental change overnight. It had matured and become much more certain of its
stand. Its vision was no longer blurred. No more hesitation or reluctance as those
witnessed the day before. It had now acquired a seriousness which had not been
experienced before. Yet the time span between these two greatly differing attitudes is
only one night. The hard experience produced its results and shook the very souls of
the believers. Indeed, Gods bounty through this difficult test is greater than
anything else.
Finally, the passage concludes with explaining the reason behind fear. It is Satan
who tries to depict his allies as a source of might. The believers must be on their
guard never to entertain any fear of Satan or his allies. They must fear God alone, the
Almighty Who overpowers all forces: It is but Satan who prompts people to fear his
allies: so, have no fear of them, but fear Me if you are truly believers. (Verse 175)
It serves Satans purpose to show his allies as powerful and mighty, able to inflict
harm on, and cause benefit to others. By doing so, he has the chance to spread evil
and corruption on earth. People will surrender to his allies and allow them to do
whatever they want. No one will contemplate standing up to them or foiling their
evil purpose. When evil appears to be too powerful and people are paralysed by fear,
then Satans allies can accomplish what he wants of them. Thus, right appears to be
wrong and wrong is shown to be right. Evil and corruption become widespread
while truth and justice are suppressed. The evildoers make deities of themselves to
perpetuate the suppression of goodness and to protect evil. When no one is able to
stand up to them, evil becomes triumphant while the truth is overshadowed and
forgotten. Satan is a deceptive sorcerer who hides behind his allies while at the same
time causing people to fear his allies. But God exposes him as he truly is, without
cover. The believers are made aware of Satans scheming. Thus, they can be on their
guard and they have no fear of him or his allies.
Both Satan and his allies are too weak to be feared by any believer who relies on
his Lord and has His support. The only power to be feared is the one which truly can
cause harm and benefit. That is Gods power, feared by those who believe in God. By
fearing God alone they are the most powerful of all people. No other force can stand
up to them. Hence, God instructs the believers in these words: It is but Satan who
prompts people to fear his allies: so, have no fear of them, but fear Me if you are truly
believers.
How Peoples Actions Affect God
Be not grieved by those who hasten on to disbelief They cannot harm God in any way.
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It is Gods will not to assign to them any share in the [blessings of the] life to come. A
great suffering awaits them. (Verse 176)
This verse addresses the Prophet in words which are meant to console him and
lighten his grief when he sees people hastening to disbelief and vying with one
another to embrace it, as if they were competing for a coveted prize. He is told that
all such actions will harm God in no way. The question is one of temptation for them
which they cannot resist. God is fully aware of what they think and do, which
qualifies them to be deprived of all blessings in the hereafter. He, therefore, has left
them to follow their disbelief wherever it leads them. The point is that guidance has
been provided for them but they preferred disbelief and, in consequence, they were
left alone to follow the way of their choosing. Indeed, they have been given plenty of
time and comfort, but they have not been wise enough to understand that it will all
end in their undoing. Gods purpose behind all events, including the tests endured
by the believers and the indulgence allowed disbelievers is then explained. Good will
be distinguished from evil. Peoples thoughts and beliefs are known only to God, but
He wanted this to be known to people in such a way that they could easily
comprehend it.
This conclusion is the most suitable after the Qurns detailed comments on the
events of a battle in which the Muslims suffered a heavy defeat and the idolaters
achieved a spectacular victory. For there will always be doubts and silent complaints
whenever a battle between truth and falsehood ends up with a setback for the truth
and a triumph for falsehood. Why does this happen, Lord? Why do the advocates of
the truth suffer while the followers of falsehood triumph? Why is the truth not
victorious in every battle it fights against falsehood? Should not the truth always
achieve victory? Why is falsehood allowed to gather such strength when it only
shakes people and raises doubts in their hearts?
This is indeed what happened at Uud when, surprised at what befell them, the
Muslims exclaimed: How has this come about? (Verse 165)
At the conclusion of this long passage, the final answer is given to reassure people
and remove all doubts. Gods purpose and His law are explained for that particular
occasion and for all time. What we are told here is that when falsehood is victorious
in any confrontation with the truth then that is not the end of the matter.
Falsehood may appear to be all-conquering, but it is only temporary. No one
should think that falsehood is invincible or that it can reduce the truth to a
permanently weak position from which it will never recover. Nor does the apparent
weakness of the truth in any particular period of time mean that God has abandoned
it or that He would allow evil and falsehood to put the truth out of existence.
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All this is part of a clearly defined purpose. God allows evil to go the length of its
way, committing the most ghastly of crimes and sins so that it merits the worst of
suffering. He also tests the truth and its advocates in order to distinguish those who
remain truly steadfast and increases their reward. It all, then, ends up in a net gain
for the truth and net loss for evil. Each has a double portion of what it earns.
Be not grieved by those who hasten on to disbelief. They cannot harm God in any way.
It is Gods will not to assign to them any share in the [blessings of the] life to come. A
great suffering awaits them. (Verse 176)
This is a consolation for the Prophet so that he does not grieve when he sees
people driving headlong into disbelief. This portrays an actual state of affairs in
which we see some people exert every effort as they go along the path of evil,
disbelief and disobedience of God. They drive along as if they are chased by a
fearsome enemy or as if they are promised a splendid prize.
The Prophet used to grieve when he saw such people condemning themselves to a
fateful doom, driving towards hell, and he could do nothing to save them because
they were determined not to listen to him. He also grieved at what befell the
Muslims and his message at the hands of those hardened disbelievers. Masses of
people were awaiting the final result of the battle between Islam and the Quraysh in
order to choose the camp to join. When the Quraysh eventually embraced Islam,
people flocked in large numbers to the religion of God. All these were considerations
that affected the Prophet. Hence, the consolation from God: Be not grieved by those
who hasten on to disbelief They cannot harm God in any way.
There is absolutely no doubt that such people could not cause God any harm. This
is the truth which needs no explanation. But God wants to make it clear that the
cause of faith is His own cause. The battle against the disbelievers is, therefore, Gods
own battle. The ultimate result of this cause and its battle is not the responsibility of
the Prophet and, consequently, it is not the responsibility of the believers. For those
who hasten on to disbelief are fighting God and they are much too weak to harm
Him in any way. They can in no way harm His faith or its advocates no matter how
hardened they may be in their disbelief and no matter how much harm they may
cause the believers.
The question still arises: why does God allow them to achieve a victory against the
believers when they are His own immediate enemies? The answer being that He has
prepared something much more humiliating for them: It is Gods will not to assign to
them any share in the [blessings of the] life to come. They utilise all the share assigned to
them and they shoulder their whole burden, meriting Gods punishment in full. It is
towards this end that they drive headlong: A great suffering awaits them. Why does
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God then wish them to have such a miserable end? They have earned it by choosing
it themselves.
Why Disbelievers May Wield Power
Indeed, those who have bought disbelief at the price of faith cannot harm God in any
way. A grievous suffering awaits them. Let not those who disbelieve imagine that Our
giving them rein bodes well for their own souls. We only give them rein so that they
may grow in sinfulness. A humiliating suffering awaits them. It is not Gods purpose
to leave the believers in your present state except to set apart the bad from the good.
And it is not Gods purpose to reveal to you what is kept beyond the reach of human
perception. But God favours from among His messengers whomever He wills. Believe,
therefore, in God and His messengers. If you believe and are God fearing, you shall
have a great reward. (Verses 177-9)
To believe in God and to follow the path of faith was available to them. The proofs
and pointers which guide human beings to faith are everywhere in the universe,
planted deep into human nature. The harmony and complementarity which manifest
themselves in clear and unique ways, and the direct, positive response of human
nature to such remarkable evidence represent a clear invitation to man to have faith.
He feels that only God could have created and organised the universe. Moreover,
God has sent messengers to convey to mankind His message and to call on them to
believe in Him. The message meets the needs of human nature and provides a
complete and harmonious way of life.
Knowing that faith is so readily available to them, they nevertheless bartered it
away for disbelief. In doing so, they deserve to be abandoned by God so that they
can drive headlong into disbelief, exhausting all their share of Gods grace, leaving
no reward for themselves in the hereafter. Immersed so totally in error and having
nothing of the truth, they are too weak to cause God any harm whatsoever. Error has
no justice and falsehood has no strength. Its advocates cannot harm those who
respond to Gods call, even though they may have forces with which they can inflict
temporary harm on the believers.
A grievous suffering awaits them. The suffering they will have to endure is
incomparably more painful than what they can inflict on believers in this life. Let not
those who disbelieve imagine that Our giving them rein bodes well for their own souls. We
only give them rein so that they may grow in sinfulness. A humiliating suffering awaits
them.
At this point the srah tackles the doubts entertained by some people and their
silent remonstrations as they see the enemies of the truth and of God go about
unpunished, demonstrating their power and enjoying their strength, position and
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wealth. What they seem to possess hardens their attitude and tempts people to side
with them. Those whose faith remains weak may entertain evil thoughts so as to
believe that God has acquiesced to falsehood, accepted evil and tyranny and given
their advocates rein. Far be it for God to do so. They may also think that God takes a
neutral position in the battle between truth and falsehood, allowing falsehood to
smash the truth. They may even think that a certain brand of falsehood is right;
otherwise, how is it allowed to grow and triumph? Or they may go as far as to think
that it is the natural order of things in this life for falsehood to triumph over the
truth. As for the transgressors who serve evil, wreak injustice and spread corruption,
they continue with their erring ways and drive headlong into unbelief, imagining
that they wield absolute power and that there is no force to stand up to them. All this
is plainly wrong. It is an erroneous concept of how God conducts matters. God
warns the disbelievers against entertaining such thoughts. If He does not visit them
with immediate punishment for their disbelief and, instead, allows them a chance to
enjoy themselves in this life, they should know that it is all a test which lures them
away so that their attitudes harden and their errors become plainly apparent: Let not
those who disbelieve imagine that Our giving them rein bodes well for their own souls. We
only give them rein so that they may grow in sinfulness.
Had they deserved to be helped out of their distractions with an awakening test,
God would have put them to such a trial. But He does not wish them well after they
have bought disbelief at the price of faith. They no longer deserve to be awakened.
Instead, a humiliating suffering awaits them. Such humiliation is the exact opposite of
their present position of power, prestige and affluence.
This makes it clear to us that a test in this life is a type of Gods bounty which is
granted to those for whom God stores up a happier future. When it comes as the
result of actions made by good servants of God who strive hard in advocating His
cause, it is done for a definite purpose which may not be immediately apparent. It
remains part of Gods grace, shown to His servants. This is sufficient to reassure the
believers and to drive home some basic principles about the Islamic concept of life.
It was part of Gods grace to the believers that He distinguishes them from the
hypocrites who infiltrated their ranks and who had no love for Islam. He put the
believers to this hard test at Uud as a result of certain actions of their own making,
in order to set the bad apart from the good.
It is not Gods purpose to leave the believers in your present state except to set apart the
bad from the good. And it is not Gods purpose to reveal to you what is kept beyond the reach
of human perception. But God favours from among His messengers whomever He wills.
Believe, therefore, in God and His messengers. If you believe and are God-fearing, you shall
have a great reward. This is a clear Qurnic statement which leaves us in no doubt
that it is not part of Gods design or method to allow the ranks of the believers to
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remain loose, giving a chance to the hypocrites to join them under false pretences
when they have no real faith. God has moulded this nation of Islam in order that it
plays a great role in this world, implements the supreme code of living designed by
God Himself. Such a great role requires dedication, purity and unity. To fulfil it the
Muslims must not allow any infiltration into their ranks. For this task to be
accomplished it requires, in short, that the actors be as great as the role assigned to
them in this life and worthy of the position God has prepared for them in the life to
come. This means that a severe test must be endured so that only the strong in faith
remain within the ranks and those who are weak are moved aside. In practice, it
meant that the great shake-up at Uud was necessary so that the believers did not
remain as they were before the battle.
Nor is it Gods purpose to allow human beings to know what He has chosen to
remain hidden from them. They are not, by nature, ready or able to receive such a
revelation because their constitution has been especially designed to fulfil a certain
task in this life which does not require such knowledge. The human constitution
would collapse if such a revelation was made, because it has not been made to
receive of it except a portion which allows the soul to know its Creator. The least that
would happen to man when he knows his eventual destiny is that he remains idle
and does nothing in fulfilment of his task on earth, namely, to build human life.
Alternatively, he may be worried about his destiny and this may exhaust his
strength. How then does God set the bad apart from the good? How does He purge
the Muslim ranks from all hypocrisy and mould the Muslim community in the
proper shape to fulfil its role? The answer is given in the Qurnic statement: But
God favours from among His messengers whomever He wills. It is through His message,
and through accepting it and believing in it and through the striving of the
messengers and the testing of their followers that Gods purpose is accomplished.
This again stresses the importance of the test which distinguishes people. We now
know a part of Gods purpose as it manifests itself in the events of life.
Having explained this fundamental fact, an address is made to the believers to
demonstrate within their world the practical effects of their faith. If they do, then a
great reward awaits them: Believe, therefore, in God and His messengers. If you believe
and are God-fearing, you shall have a great reward. This directive, coupled with the
promise of a great reward, is the best conclusion for the comments given in this srah
on the Battle of Uud.
The Lesson in a Nutshell
The Qurns analysis of the events of the Battle of Uud and their ramifications
determine that further exploration of the facts be set forward. Only the most
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important and far-reaching of these facts, however, will now be pointed out.
1. The first principle relates to the nature of the Islamic system, the way of life
God has chosen for mankind, and the way it works in real life. This is a basic
aspect which many people overlook or fail to understand. There are those
who think that since Islam is a Divine system, it ought to work in real life in a
miraculous or supernatural way, with no regard for human nature, mans
natural abilities or the real world in which man lives.
However, when these people see that Islam does not work in this manner,
and that it only operates within the constraints of human power and the
material limits of mans existence, and that it interacts with that power and
that existence, they are hit by a sudden sense of disappointment. They are
surprised that Islam is affected by mans capacity and environment, and that
these realities do actually influence, sometimes negatively, peoples response
to Islam. Their faith in the efficacy and practicality of religious faith thus
becomes dented, and some may even lose all faith in religion as such.
Such misunderstandings stem from one fundamental misconception about
the nature of Islam and its practical operation in human life. Islam is
implemented by human efforts, within the limits of human power. It begins
from where man is at a particular moment. It proceeds from his material
existence and takes him all the way to the end. It goes as far as mans
endeavour and capacity can take him, always mindful of his limitations and
capabilities.
Islams main characteristic, however, is that it never for one moment neglects
human nature and the realities of mans physical existence, all the while
allowing him to reach new heights of progress and achievement. This is
unparalleled in any man-made system. It happened in the past and can
always happen again if a serious attempt is made to revive Islam.
The mistake lies in misunderstanding or ignoring the nature of this religion,
and in looking for supernatural miracles that distort human nature or are
totally divorced from mans propensities, aptitudes, capabilities, and from his
real physical existence. Is not Islam a Divine way of life? Is it not the religion
chosen by the most Omnipotent power in the whole universe? Why, then,
does it only operate within the bounds of human power? Why does it require
human effort to succeed? Why does it, and its followers, not prevail every
time? Why is it sometimes overtaken by habits, desires and material realities?
Why should its opponents, who are in the wrong, prevail over its followers,
who are in the right? These, as we can see, are all misleading questions that
arise from a failure to understand the most basic and simplest fact about the
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nature of Islam and the way it works in real life.
God is, of course, capable, through Islam or otherwise, of modifying human
nature, and He was able to create man with a different nature. But, He chose
to create man as we know him; He chose to grant him a will and the ability to
respond; He chose to make guidance dependent on effort and perception. He
further ordained that human nature remains a constant and active force for
all time. He intended that His way of life shall only be realised in real life
through human effort and within mans power, and He planned that mans
achievements correspond to the effort he makes within the constraints of real
life.
No one can question Gods wisdom in this whole process, because no one has
the Divine qualities or knowledge to comprehend the overall system of
creation or how it works. No one but God can fathom the underlying nature
of every creature in this world or the purpose behind creating them in this
particular way.
In this context, neither a sincere believer in God nor a hardened atheist could
question Gods judgement in this regard. A believer is too polite with God,
whom he knows within his heart and through His attributes, to ask such an
impertinent question, and he knows well that the human mind is not
equipped to explore such areas of knowledge. The unbeliever would not ask
simply because he does not believe in the existence of God; were he to
believe, he would realise that it is a matter for God Almighty alone.
Not one of Gods creation has the right to question why He created human
nature as we know it? Why did He decide that human nature should be a
constant and active force for all time? Why did He decide that the
implementation of the Divine system could only be achieved through human
effort and within the power frame of the human being?
Nevertheless, every human being has the right to understand this fact and to
see how it works in real life the right to interpret human history according
to it so as to appreciate it on the one hand, and to change it on the other.
The Divine system of Islam, as taught by the Prophet Muammad, cannot be
implemented in real life by the mere fact that it is revealed by God. Nor is it
established by merely conveying it or explaining it to people. Nor is it forced
on human society like any natural law governing the movement of the
galaxies or the stars. The only way to set up the Islamic system is for a group
of human beings to fully adopt and uphold its principles, and dedicate their
life, energy and aspirations to sustain it. To persuade others of it and build
their lives according to its teachings. For that group to endeavour to conquer
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weakness, prejudice, desire, and ignorance within themselves and within the
hearts of others. To face up to those motivated by weakness, desire and
ignorance in their opposition to Gods system and to stem the progress of
such unbelievers. For this group to go forward in their implementation of
Gods system, starting from where people are, and never ignoring the
requirements of their real situation. This group will, at times, prevail over its
own weakness as well as over others and similarly it will fail at others. Its
success and failure will depend on the effort it makes and the practical means
it employs, and on how successful it is in choosing the right means. But, first
and foremost, success depends on its dedication to its cause and on how truly
it represents its values and principles in its own behaviour, how close it is to
God and how much confidence and trust it places in Him.
This is the reality of Islam and its methods. This is its true action plan and its
means to achieve it. This is what God wishes to impart to the Muslim
community as He takes them through the Battle of Uud and analyses its
events.
When that community fell short in representing the true character of Islam in
their conduct during the battle and failed, at certain points, to take proper
measures to secure victory, when they overlooked the simple but
fundamental truth and assumed that victory was guaranteed simply by
virtue of their being Muslims, God left them to suffer the hurting pains of
defeat. The Qurn draws their attention to this basic fact: Why, when a
calamity befell you, after you had inflicted twice as much [on your enemy], did you
exclaim, How has this come about? Say: It has come from your own selves. Surely
God has the power over all things. (Verse 165)
The Qurn, however, does not leave the argument there but goes on to
unveil Gods purpose behind the causes and the outcome of the events. It
reveals the advantages God intended by the test the Muslims had undergone.
Allowing Gods system to take its course in life through human endeavour
and under human influence is beneficial. It is healthy and good for human
life and it polishes and refines human nature and revives it. A mans faith is
only fully consummated when he is tested through direct dealings with
people, teaching them, arguing with them and struggling to win them over
by all means.
One has to undergo trials and tribulations and experience patience and
perseverance in the face of all adversities, and learn how to tolerate defeat
and how to cope with victory, which can be much harder, until ones heart is
cleansed and true believers are set apart so that their community proceeds
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along the true path of success, trusting in God alone.
A mans faith is not complete until he experiences the hardships of
expounding that faith to others, because in that process, he develops his own
faith. New horizons are opened up for him that would not otherwise have
opened; new facts about people and life are revealed that would not
otherwise have been revealed. His feelings and outlook, his habits and
practices, and his emotions and responses reach levels that would not
otherwise have been attainable.
Likewise, a community has to undergo the harsh experiences of struggle until
every member realises the extent of his or her own power and objectives. In
this way the community understands the value and role of its constituent
parts, how strong each member is and how solidly united the whole structure
is.
This is what God wanted to teach the Muslim community at Uud and
through the Qurnic discussion of its events. The verses come together to
impress upon the Muslims the reasons for their defeat as well as the care and
protection God afforded them. They emphasise the rationale behind Gods
will and purpose in all the events and developments that took place, and
stress the underlying principle that Gods natural and social laws apply
equally to all human societies and individuals.
Ultimately, it is Gods will and purpose that are the moving force behind all
causes, events and developments. This comprehensive Islamic perspective
thus underpins those momentous events and their interpretation.
2. The second principle that emerges from the Qurnic comments on the
Muslim defeat at Uud shows that human nature is not perfect. It does,
however, have the propensity to develop and grow to the highest standards
of perfection that it is capable of reaching in this world.
In that community of Muammads Companions, we have a section of
humanity representing the quintessential part of the nation that God
describes as the best nation ever brought forth for mankind. They were the ideal
human social model ever to grace the earth. But when we look at that
community, what do we see? We see a group of human beings who have
their weaknesses and shortcomings. The Qurn tells us that among them
were individuals who fell for Satans enticement, some who degenerated into
dissension and disobedience, and some who were weak and faint-hearted.
There were also those who ran away and cared for nothing but their own
safety and self-interest.
But all were believing Muslims. However, they were at the early stages of
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Islams existence, still going through their formative years. Nevertheless, they
took their faith most seriously. They submitted all their affairs to God,
willingly, and they accepted His religion and way of life. Hence, God did not
ostracise them, but rather exonerated them and showed them mercy. He
instructed His Messenger to pardon them, pray for their forgiveness and
consult them on various matters, despite their unbecoming conduct and the
disastrous outcome of his efforts to consult them.
Indeed, God allowed them to see for themselves the results of their own
actions. He took them through that gruelling experience, but never banished
them or threw them out of the Muslim community. He did not say to them:
You are not fit for this mission due to the weaknesses and shortcomings you
have displayed. He acknowledged their faults and inadequacies and
presented them with the opportunity to learn through experience by pointing
out to them the various lessons and admonitions implicit in that experience.
All this is done with a thoughtful, tolerant and caring demeanour, like that of
an adult towards a child. He exposed their weakness not in order to
humiliate, shame or discredit them, nor in order to overburden their souls,
but rather in order to guide and inspire them. To give them greater self-
confidence and self-esteem, and to teach them never to despair of reaching
their goals as long as they remain loyal to God and hold fast to their strong
ties with Him.
They did, in the end, prevail. The sound elements among them, who were
few and far between at the beginning of the confrontation, had multiplied.
The following day, they all went out with the Prophet to fight for a second
time, without any apprehension, hesitation or fear of the threats people made
against them. The Qurn spoke well of them and applauded their stance.
As the community matured, they were treated more rigorously and held
answerable for their actions in a much stricter manner. This becomes quite
clear if one considers the Qurns treatment of the aftermath of the Tabk
expedition, in srah 9, al-Tawbah, or Repentance. There, a small group of
Muslims who did not join the campaign are severely reprimanded. There is a
remarkably different tone in the Qurnic approach to, and its reproach of,
the Muslims at Uud and those at Tabk, although they were fundamentally
the same people. At Tabk the Muslims were more mature and, therefore,
more responsible. Nevertheless, they were human, with the same
weaknesses, failings and imperfections. Yet they never ceased to repent and
seek Gods support and forgiveness.
Islam preserves and nurtures human nature. It does not change it or
overburden it even when it is stretched to its limits of achievement and
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innovation.
This fact is of great value. It gives lasting hope to mankind so that they may
strive more and achieve more under Islams unique way of life. Those early
Muslims began their journey to the top from very humble beginnings. Those
frail first steps were taken by a small group of Arabs whose life was, as we
have seen, backward in every respect. Their example gives all humanity
reason for optimism to achieve greater and further progress, no matter how
low it has fallen. They did not represent an isolated case, or a miracle that can
never be repeated. Their experience was a product of the Divine way of life
which is accomplished through human effort and power, by human beings
who are capable of achieving greater and greater things.
The Divine system starts with any society from whatever material situation it
is at and takes it forwards and upwards, just as it did with that nave and
ignorant group of Arabs. Within a very short span of time, less than 25 years,
that group achieved unparalleled heights of progress and civilisation.
One important requirement, however, must be fulfilled: people must fully
submit to Gods system; they must believe and comply with its laws and
teachings; it must be the foundation of their life, the slogan of their
movement, and the beacon in their journey on the long and arduous route
ahead.
3. The third fact to come out of the Uud episode and the Qurns analysis of it
is the close relationship, in Islams outlook, between the mentality of the
Muslim community and the battle it fights against its enemies in every arena.
The relationship between the communitys beliefs, perceptions, ethics,
behaviour and political, economic and social organisation, on the one hand,
and its victory or defeat on the battlefield, on the other. These are crucially
important factors in determining what befalls a nation and in whether or not
it prevails.
The Divine way of life operates within the huge area of human psyche and
human society. It is an intricate and multi-faceted arena. Plans may falter or
fail when the relationship and the coordination among its constituent parts
are upset or disrupted. It is after all a system which looks at life in its totality,
rather than in fragments. It deals with all aspects of man and life, affecting
both in a single integrated way that causes no dichotomy or fragmentation.
This is clearly illustrated in the connection the Qurn makes between defeat
and succumbing to Satans suggestions, as in the case of those of you who
turned away on the day when the two hosts met in battle, Satan caused them to slip
only in consequence of something that they themselves had done. (Verse 155)
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Conversely, the earlier believers who fought steadfastly by their prophets
side, provided a role-model for the Muslims to emulate. They began their
fighting with prayers and pleas for Gods forgiveness (Verses 146-8).
When the Qurn addresses the believers in verses 133-5, it directs them first
to cleanse their hearts of sin and to seek Gods forgiveness before it urges
them to stand firm and fight valiantly and bravely in the battlefield. Earlier,
in verse 112, it affirms that the reasons for the humiliation and defeat of the
people of earlier revelations lay in their transgressions and wickedness.
There are numerous references to wrongdoing and misconduct throughout
the Qurns review of the Battle of Uud, while the srah as a whole is filled
with allusions to fear of God. This thread links the srahs diverse themes.
There is also the call to abandon usury and to obey God and His messenger.
To behave with goodwill and benevolence towards others, and to control
anger, all of which are qualities that purify the individual and cleanse society.
The whole srah appears as one integrated effort to emphasise this major
objective.
4. A fourth feature of the Islamic method of educating its followers is that it
takes them through practical experiences in order to cultivate in them certain
feelings, emotions and responses before giving them its judgement and
interpretation of those events and experiences, as given in its review of the
Battle of Uud. In its analysis of the events, the Qurn touches every possible
nerve in human emotions and behaviour, correcting wrong impressions,
giving reassurance and confirming certain facts. It leaves no relevant thought,
sensibility or concern without highlighting it or making a direct reference to
it. It unravels all aspects of human nature and human response in order to
cleanse, purify, correct, clarify and refine the subjects feelings, impressions,
concepts and values. Its aim is to establish the true, sound principles of the
Islamic outlook for a better and more stable life. This approach enables the
Qurn to use every event and every experience by the Muslim community as
a means for enlightenment, education and a broader understanding of things.
Furthermore, the Qurns review of the Battle of Uud is meticulous, incisive
and comprehensive. Every scene, every move and every emotion is precisely
recorded and analysed. Every corner of human feeling and behaviour is
penetrated and explored; nothing is overlooked. There is precision in the
analysis of the causes and the outcome of the events; there is depth in
discussing the various factors involved in propelling the action; there is
vitality in the descriptions and rhythms. Feelings are intertwined with
imagery in a profound and dynamic way. One cannot remain impassive or
detached from the scenes so described; instead one is filled with energy,
260
enthusiasm and inspiration.
5. Another highly important principle which emerges from the Battle of Uud is
the realistic nature of the Divine way of life. For the Divine system to be
established, it has to be actually implemented in society. It is not a mere
collection of abstract principles or vague exhortations. It is a practical,
tangible and realistic way of life. The best way to illustrate this fact is the
Divine view of shr, or collective public consultation.
The Prophet would have been quite within his rights to spare the Muslim
community the travails of their experience with consultative government;
they were still a young society surrounded by enemies, both from within and
from without. He could have planned and conducted the confrontation
according to his own judgement, supported by the premonitions in his
dream. He did not have to consult his Companions or to comply with the
outcome of that consultation. Indeed, even his Companions realised that they
might have forced him into a course of action he did not wish to take.
Nevertheless, the Prophet went ahead and accepted the consensus of his
people. This he did, so that they would face the consequences of their
judgement and learn how to take responsibility. In the Prophets view, and
according to the Islamic approach he was establishing, compliance with a
collective decision takes precedence over the need to avoid losses on the
battlefield or to avert the pains of the bitter experience of shr. To do that
would be to deny the Muslims the benefit of their experience and deprive
them of the lessons and the maturity they would gain from that experience.
The Divine instruction to pursue consultation and to comply with its
outcome were received by Muammad after the battle as confirmation of the
principle itself. This was the most effective and profound way of establishing
the principle and of elaborating on the tenets of the Divine way of life.
Islam does not defer establishing a principle until the community is ready to
implement it. The community needs to practise in order to learn and be
prepared. To deny people the benefits of their experience of fundamental
principles, such as consultative government, is more detrimental to the
development of that society than any outcome that might emerge from that
experience. Mistakes, no matter how great or serious, are no justification for
the invalidation, withdrawal or suspension of a particular tenet or principle.
This would only stunt the growth and development of the community,
emasculate its expertise and threaten its whole existence.
This is the meaning conveyed by the Qurnic statement: Therefore pardon
them and pray for them to be forgiven, and consult them in the conduct of public
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affairs. (Verse 159)
The practicalities of this approach can also be seen very clearly in the
Prophets behaviour. He refused to take the matter for consultation a second
time indicating that it would be a sign of indecisiveness to do so. It would
totally undermine the very process itself. In this respect he made that historic
declaration that no prophet should lay down his battle dress until God
decides the issue. Then came the Qurnic instruction: When you have
resolved about a course of action, put your trust in God. (Verse 159) Thus, the
action and the instruction come together in perfect harmony.
6. Finally, we learn from the Qurnic review of Uud that Gods way of life is
constant and consistent in its values and standards. People may
misunderstand the Divine way of life or misinterpret its principles, teachings
and concepts, but none of this should in any way demean or devalue that
system itself.
If people misunderstand the Divine system, they are told that they have gone
wrong and if they deviate from its principles and teachings, they are depicted
as mistaken or misguided. Islam does not overlook such mistakes or
deviations, no matter how highly regarded the culprits are, and it does not
change its nature in order to accommodate or legitimise such errors or
deviations.
What we learn from this is that exonerating the individual does not justify
distorting or mutilating the system. It is far more advantageous for the
universal Muslim community to keep the values and principles of their way
of life pure and intact and to identify and isolate those who misconstrue or
misinterpret them, no matter who they are. Their mistakes and
misconceptions should never be justified or lent any legitimacy by changing
or modifying the values and standards of the system itself. Such course of
action is far more damaging to Islam than criticising or censuring certain
Muslim leaders or prominent figures. The system is greater and more lasting
than any individual. The true history of Islam is not everything that Muslims
have done or achieved in their life, but it is everything they have done and
accomplished in total agreement with Islam and its firmly-established values
and principles. The deviations and mistakes should not be attributed to Islam
or associated with it, but should be credited to the individuals or societies
that were responsible for them. The history of Islam and the history of the
Muslims are not one and the same thing, even those who are, to all intents
and purposes, Muslim. The history of Islam is represented by eras when
Islam was truly and rightly put into practice, when its concepts and beliefs,
its code of morality, and its way of life for society as a whole were truly
262
implemented. Islam is the firm centre around which the nations life revolves
within a well - defined structure. Once people stray away from that
framework or abandon the central tenets of Islam, they cease to have
anything to do with Islam. In this way, Islam should not be held accountable
for their behaviour nor should it be interpreted in the light of their actions.
Indeed, what justification is there to continue to associate such individuals or
groups with Islam, if they break away from its central beliefs and principles
and refuse to comply with them in their daily lives. Muslims are only
Muslims if they adopt Islam as their way of life, and not because they bear
Muslim names or because they claim to be Muslim.
God intended to convey these lessons to the Muslim community by exposing
their mistakes and noting their weaknesses and shortcomings. Having done
that, He then absolves them and relieves them of all guilt, albeit after having
taken them through a harsh and gruelling experience.

263
11
Main Issues
Re-emphasised
Let not those who niggardly cling to all that God
has bestowed on them of His bounty think that
this is good for them. Indeed, it is bad for them.
That to which they niggardly cling will hang
around their necks on the Day of Resurrection.
To God belongs the heritage of the heavens and
the earth, and God is well aware of all that you
do. (180)
God has certainly heard the words of those who
said: God is poor, and we are rich. We shall
record what they have said, and also their slaying
of prophets against all right and We shall say:
Taste now the torment of burning. (181)
This is on account of what your own hands have
wrought. Never does God do the slightest injustice
to His servants. (182)
They declare: God has charged us not to believe
in any messenger unless he brings us an offering
which the fire consumes. Say: Messengers came
to you before me with clear evidence of the truth,
and with that which you describe. Why, then, did
you slay them, if what you say is true? (183)
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264
Then, if they charge you with falsehood, before
your time other messengers were also charged with
falsehood when they came with clear evidence of
the truth, and books of Divine wisdom and with
the light-giving revelation. (184)
Every soul shall taste death, and you shall be
paid on the Day of Resurrection only that which
you have earned. He who shall be drawn away
from the Fire and brought into paradise shall
indeed have gained a triumph. The life of this
world is nothing but an illusory enjoyment. (185)
You shall most certainly be tried in your
possessions and in your persons; and you shall
hear much hurting abuse from those who were
given revelations before you and from those who set
up partners with God. But if you persevere and
continue to fear God that is indeed a matter
requiring strong resolve. (186)
God has made a covenant with those who were
granted revelations (when He bade them):
Make it known to mankind and do not conceal
it. But they cast it behind their backs and
bartered it away for a trifling price. Evil is that
which they have taken in exchange for it. (187)
Do not think that those who exult in their deeds
and love to be praised for what they have not done
do not think that they will escape
punishment. A grievous suffering awaits them.
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265
Overview
The srah has now completed its coverage of the events at Uud, but the struggle
between the Muslim community and their opponents around Madinah, the Jews in
particular, was not over. The debates, the arguments, the intrigues, the rumours, the
destructive propaganda, and the controversies raged on unabated. It is this unending
struggle that has occupied most of the srah.
The Prophet Muammad had by that time, in the wake of the Battle of Badr,
banished the Jewish tribe of Qaynuq from Madinah, in response to their seditious
and subversive activities. They had reneged on agreements he made with them upon
his arrival in Madinah and his establishment of a Muslim state incorporating the
Arab tribes of Aws and Khazraj. The Jewish tribes of al-Nar and Qurayah and the
smaller Jewish communities in Khaybar and other parts of Arabia continued to work
together, forging alliances with pockets of hypocrites inside Madinah and with the
idolaters in Makkah and around Madinah, hatching plots to subvert and destroy the
young Muslim state.
Earlier in the srah, the Jews are warned against a fate similar to that of the non-
Muslim Arabs, if they underestimated the Muslims ability to retaliate. We read: Say
to those who disbelieve: You shall be overcome and gathered unto Hell, an evil resting place.
You have had a sign in the two armies which met in battle. One was fighting for Gods cause,
the other an army of unbelievers. They saw with their very eyes that the others were twice
their own number. But God strengthens with His succour whom He wills. In this there is
surely a lesson for all who have eyes to see. (Verses 12-13)
When the Prophet conveyed this warning to the Jews of Madinah, in the wake of
the Badr campaign, they reacted with insolence and contempt. On one occasion, a
group of the Qaynuq` Jews said to the Prophet: Muammad. Do not let yourself be
deluded that you were able to kill a few nave men from Quraysh who were so
inexperienced in combat. By God, if you were to fight us, you would know that we
are the real men, the like of whom you have never encountered. They went on to
perpetrate more sedition and subversion, many aspects of which are given in this
srah, culminating in the revocation of their agreement with Muammad.
(188)
To God belongs the dominion of the heavens and
the earth; and He has power over all things.
(189)
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l Ìmrn (The House of Ìmrn) | MAIN ISSUES RE-EMPHASISED
266
Consequently, the Prophet lay siege to the Qaynuq` forts until they yielded to his
demands, and, thereafter, he banished them to a place called Adhra`t. The two other
Jewish tribes, Qurayah and al-Nar, remained in Madinah, apparently faithful to
their pact, but in practice heavily engaged in clandestine activities of disinformation,
rumour and intrigue. Thus, the Qurn records for posterity Certain characteristics
and patterns of behaviour that have, in many societies, come to be associated with
some Jewish communities throughout history.
This section of the srah reviews some Jewish activities and claims that reflect an
attitude of impertinence and disrespect, not only towards the Muslims, but towards
God Almighty Himself. Not only did some of the Jews refuse to honour their
financial commitments to the state, but had the impudence to say: God is poor, we are
rich. (Verse 181)
We can also see in this section the weak arguments advanced by the Jews of
Madinah against Islam and the contrived manner in which they contradict even their
own known history. They disobeyed God and broke their covenant with Him; they
concealed Gods revelation from other people or disregarded it altogether; they slew
prophets who had come to them with clear proof from God, which they rejected.
The Qurns exposure of all this shameful misbehaviour was necessary so as to
explain their attitude towards the Muslims and to counteract their unholy alliance
with the pagan Arabs. It was also necessary for the enlightened education and
development of the Muslim community. It made them aware of their surroundings
and the environment they were living and working in; they knew the obstacles and
pitfalls on their path and the pain and sacrifices awaiting them. Jewish hostility
towards the Muslims in Madinah was much more serious and dangerous than that of
the Arabs in Makkah, and could represent the largest threat in their history.
Hence, the constant flood of directives and guidelines addressing the Muslims
throughout this discussion. The srah draws their attention to values that are
enduring and fundamental as well as to those that are ephemeral and short-lived. It
stresses that life is finite and short; all beings eventually die and in the Hereafter
there are rewards, and there are gains and losses. We read: He who shall be drawn
away from the Fire and brought into Paradise shall indeed have gained a triumph. The life of
this world is nothing but an illusory enjoyment. (Verse 185) They are told that they will
be tested regarding their lives and their wealth; they will meet with hostility and
harassment from the unbelievers and the people of earlier revelations which they can
only resist with perseverance, with fear of God, and in steadfast compliance of His
order which will also save them from the fire.
These Divine directives continue to be as valid and as relevant for Muslims today
as in the future. They are addressed to every Muslim community intending to revive
267
and uphold Islam. God will open their eyes to the hurdles and difficulties awaiting
them, as well as the suffering and sacrifices they have to endure. Ultimately, their
hearts and minds should aspire to rewards God has in store for them; suffering,
death, and tribulation are all quite bearable. God calls to Muslims everywhere, as He
did with that first generation, that: Every soul shall taste death, and you shall be paid on
the Day of Resurrection only that which you have earned. He who shall be drawn away from
the Fire and brought into paradise shall indeed have gained a triumph. The life of this world is
nothing but an illusory enjoyment. You shall most certainly be tried in your possessions and
in your persons; and you shall hear much hurting abuse from those who were given
revelations before you, and from those who set up partners with God. But if you persevere and
continue to fear God that is indeed a matter requiring strong resolve. (Verse 185-6)
Today, the Qurn, as the book of this timeless Muslim community, remains its
comprehensive constitution, its beacon and trusted guide, just as its enemies and its
mission remain the same.
Impudence That Cannot Be Equalled
Let not those who niggardly cling to all that God has bestowed on them of His bounty
think that this is good for them. Indeed, it is bad for them. That to which they
niggardly cling will hang around their necks on the Day of Resurrection. To God
belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth, and God is well aware of all that you
do. God has certainly heard the words of those who said: God is poor, and we are
rich. We shall record what they have said, and also their slaying of prophets against
all right, and We shall say: Taste now the torment of burning. This is on account of
what your own hands have wrought. Never does God do the slightest injustice to His
servants. (Verses 180-2)
We do not have any highly authentic report as to whom the reference is directly
made in the first verse of this passage; that is, those who are warned against being
miserly and the result of their miserliness on the Day of Judgement. The fact that it
occurs at this particular point in the srah adds relevance to the following verses
which speak of the Jews. It is they, confound them, who said, God is poor and we are
rich. It is also they who claimed that God specifically charged them not to believe in
any messenger unless he brought them a burnt offering.
It appears that the whole passage has been revealed when the Jews were called
upon to honour their financial commitments under their treaty wits the Prophet.
They were also called upon to believe in the Prophet as Gods Messenger and to give
freely for Gods cause.
The stern warning made in these verses and the exposition of the excuses given by
the Jews as a justification for their refusal to believe in Muammad (pbuh) are
268
revealed as a strong reply to their impudence towards God, their Lord. This is
coupled with support given to the Prophet in the face of their rejection of his
message. He is reminded of what the messengers before him had to face in the way
of hostile reception by their peoples. These included Israelite prophets who were
killed after having brought to their people clear evidence of the truthfulness of their
prophethood as well as miracles. All this is well known in the history of the Children
of Israel.
Let not those who niggardly cling to all that God has bestowed on them of His bounty
think that this is good for them. Indeed, it is bad for them. That to which they
niggardly cling will hang round their necks on the Day of Resurrection. To God
belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth, and God is well aware of all that you
do. (Verse 180)
This verse applies to the Jews who refuse to honour their commitments just as
much as it applies to any people who refuse to come forward to support Gods
message with that which God has bestowed on them of His bounty. They may think
that their niggardliness serves their interests by protecting their wealth, keeping it in
their hands, rather than spend it for a good purpose.
The Qurnic statement warns them against entertaining such false delusions,
making it clear that what they hoard up will be lit up as fire and hung around their
necks on the Day of Judgement. It is a fearful warning, made all the more so as it
reveals that they niggardly cling only to that which God has bestowed on them of His
bounty. They are not hoarding something they have gained of their own accord.
They have come to this life penniless, with nothing they could call their own, not
even their skins. It is God Who has bestowed on them of His grace and bounty. Yet,
when He asks them to be charitable with what He has given them, they do not
remember Gods grace. Instead, they remain tight-fisted, thinking that when they
hoard up their possessions, they do what is good for them, while in fact they do
themselves nothing but evil. Moreover, they are bound to go away, leaving it all
behind. It is God who inherits all: To God belongs the heritage of the heavens and the
earth. They only hoard it up for a brief period, before it all returns to God. Nothing
of it remains for them except what they spend for Gods sake, in the hope of earning
His pleasure. It is that which He rewards them for and ensures their safety on the
Day of Judgement.
This is followed by a condemnation of the Jews who thought themselves in no
need of God or His reward, or even to the multiples He promises to those who spend
their money for His cause. It is this which He is pleased to call a loan given to those
who spend their money to serve His cause. The Jews, however, impudently say: How
come that God asks us to give Him a loan of our money, and multiplies it for us over
269
and over again, when He Himself forbids usury and the multiplication of the
principal loan? This is no more than their impudent playing with words, their
unashamed rudeness towards God: God has certainly heard the words of those who said:
God is poor, and we are rich. We shall record what they have said, and also their slaying of
prophets against all right and We shall say: Taste now the torment of burning. This is on
account of what your own hands have wrought. Never does God do the slightest injustice to
His servants.
Confusion in Jewish concepts of the true nature of God is very common in their
distortion of their Scriptures. As they utter their impudent mouthful, they are clearly
warned: We shall record what they have said, so that we may take them to account for
it. It will neither be forgotten nor overlooked. It will be there, side by side with the
record of their past misdeeds, which were perpetrated by their successive
generations. They collectively share the blame for it, since they share in their
practices of disobedience and sin.
And also their slaying of prophets against all right. The history of the Children of
Israel records a terrible chain of killing one prophet after another, culminating in
their attempt on the life of Jesus Christ, (pbuh). They even claim that they killed him,
so boasting about their ghastly crime.
And We shall say: Taste now the torment of burning. The use of the term burning
is deliberate. It adds to the horror of their torment. It makes the whole scene of
suffering come to life, terrible, painful, unabating. It is a punishment for a hideous
crime, namely, killing prophets without any justification whatsoever, and for a
terrible sin, when they said God is poor and we are rich.
This is on account of what your own hands have wrought. It is a fitting recompense,
fair and correct. Never does God do the slightest injustice to His servants. The word
servants highlights their position in relation to God. They are no more than
servants to Him. This makes their crime even more ghastly and their impudence
even more horrid. We need only remember that it is servants of God who boast
against all standards of politeness: God is poor, and we are rich. In addition to their
very rude attitude towards God, those Jews claimed that they would not believe in
Muammad because God had charged them not to believe in any messenger until he
brought them an offering and a miracle in the form of fire coming from the sky to
consume it. Since Muammad did not offer such a miracle, they would remain true
to their covenant with God, or so they claimed.
At this point, the Qurn confronts them with their own history. In the past, they
killed those very prophets who came to them with the very miracles they asked of
them and also gave them clear evidence of the truth.
270
They declare: God has charged us not to believe in any messenger unless he brings us
an offering which the fire consumes. Say: Messengers came to you before me with
clear evidence of the truth, and with that which you describe. Why, then, did you slay
them, if what you say is true? Then, if they charge you with falsehood, before your
time other messengers were also charged with falsehood when they came with clear
evidence of the truth, and books of Divine wisdom and with the light-giving
revelation. (Verses 183-4)
By so confronting them, the Qurn exposes their lies, deviousness and their
persistence with disbelief. Also exposed are their boastful claims and the fabrications
they make against God.
Thereafter, the srah addresses the Prophet with tenderness and reassurance,
encouraging him to take lightly whatever they do by way of opposition to him. After
all, it is the same as they did against his noble brother messengers throughout
history: Then, if they charge you with falsehood, before your time other messengers were
also charged with falsehood when they came with clear evidence of the truth, and books of
Divine wisdom and with the light-giving revelation. (Verse 184)
Muammad was not the first messenger to be confronted with the charge of
falsehood. Many earlier messengers, especially those sent to the Children of Israel,
were similarly confronted, despite what they had shown of clear evidence and
miracles, as well as scrolls containing Divine commandments, described in this verse
as books of Divine wisdom, and with the light-giving revelation, such as the Torah
and the Gospel. It is, then, the same story with all messengers and Divine messages.
It is the same way they all follow, a way of hardship and sacrifice. It is the only way.
A Drink to Be Tasted by All
Here the srah addresses the Muslim community, explaining the values it should
hold dear, and for which it should make sacrifices. It also speaks of the hardships
and the suffering which it is bound to encounter on the way and encourages the
Muslims to remain steadfast, show strong resolve and to always maintain fear of
God:
Every soul shall taste death, and you shall be paid on the Day of Resurrection only
that which you have earned. He who shall be drawn away from the Fire and brought
into paradise shall indeed have gained a triumph. The lift of this world is nothing but
an illusory enjoyment. You shall most certainly be tried in your possessions and in
your persons; and you shall hear much hurting abuse from those who were given
revelations before you and from those who set up partners with God. But if you
persevere and continue to fear God that is indeed a matter requiring strong
resolve. (Verses 185-6)
271
The fact that this life on earth is limited to a certain date, which will inevitably
come must be well established in believers hearts. Good people as well as bad
people will certainly die. Those who fight a campaign of jihd and those who slacken,
those who feel pride in their faith and those who are humbled by others, the brave
who accept no injustice and the cowards who will do anything to remain alive, those
who have great aspirations and the ones who seek only cheap enjoyment, will all die.
No one will be spared: Every soul shall taste death. It is a cup from which every
living thing will have to drink. There is no distinction whatsoever between one soul
and another when it comes to drinking this cup. What distinction there is concerns a
different value: the ultimate result. You shall be paid on the Day of Resurrection only
that which you have earned. He who shall be drawn away from the Fire and brought into
paradise shall indeed have gained a triumph. It is with regard to this value that the
distinction will be made. It is this destiny which will separate one group of souls
from another. The value is one worth striving for and one to be taken very seriously:
He who shall be drawn away from the Fire and brought into paradise shall indeed have
gained a triumph. (Verse 185)
The Arabic phrase rendered in translation as shall be drawn away is much more
expressive than its English equivalent. This is because its very sound adds to its
meaning and connotation. It gives the listener the sense that the Fire has strong
gravity, that it pulls towards it anyone who draws near or enters its orbit. Such a
person, then, needs support from someone else who draws him slowly and gradually
away from its overpowering gravity. He who can be forced out of its orbit and
become free of its pull will enter paradise, and he will have gained a great triumph.
It is a very vivid image, its lines delineated in sharp relief. We see movement, an
overpowering force and a strong resistance. The fire beckons those who yield to the
overpowering temptation of sin. Is it not true that a human being needs to be
gradually drawn away from temptation? This is indeed how he is drawn away from
the Fire. Despite the hard work and alertness this requires, man will always be in
deficit with regard to the good work he needs to do. His only hope is for God to
bestow on him His grace. That is what is being drawn away from the fire really
means. It is only through Gods grace that man is spared the punishment of hell.
The life of this world is nothing but an illusory enjoyment. There is enjoyment in this
life, it is true. But it is not real enjoyment; it is deceptive indeed; an enjoyment which
leads to illusions. As for the real enjoyment which gives lasting happiness and
ecstasy, this can only be found in the life to come. It is the triumph gained when one
is brought into Paradise. When this fact is well established in the believers heart,
when he is no longer so keen to stay alive, since every soul shall taste death anyway,
and when he has recognised the illusory nature of the enjoyment of this life, God tells
the believers of the trials which they shall have to endure in their possessions and
272
persons. By then, they are well prepared for the sacrifice.
In the Face of abuse and Hardship
You shall most certainly be tried in your possessions and in your persons; and you
shall hear much hurting abuse from those who were given revelations before you and
from those who set up partners with God. But if you persevere and continue to fear
God that is indeed a matter requiring strong resolve. (Verse 186)
In this verse, God tells the believers in no uncertain terms that they will have to
undergo tests and trials which will affect them and their possessions. They have to
persevere and remain steadfast in order to prove themselves worthy of Gods trust
and His great reward. It is the natural way of things when it comes to the
establishment of any faith in real life that its advocates should stand a hard test.
There is no escaping the fact that they will have to demonstrate their patience in
adversity, their determined resistance and strong resolve as also their readiness to
sacrifice whatever is required of their possessions and their persons. This is the only
way to heaven which cannot be attained without sacrifice and hardship. Hell, on the
other hand, is surrounded by easy pleasures and temptations. Moreover, there is no
other way to mould the community which will become the standard-bearer of Islam
and discharge its duties. This community must receive thorough education and
cultivation in order to heighten its potentials and strengths. The only way is the
practical discharge of the duties imposed by their faith and by their gaining a true
and practical knowledge of life and people as they are. The trials are needed so that
only the strongest in faith continue to advocate the Islamic call. It is only such people
that are worthy of its advocacy since only they are fully equipped to be so entrusted.
Moreover, it is through trial and perseverance that faith becomes dearer to the
faithful. The more they have to endure of hardship and the more sacrifice they have
to give for their faith the more valuable it becomes to them. They do not turn their
backs on it afterwards, not in any circumstances.
Trials strengthen those who are tried. It is resistance which sharpens potentials
and consolidates them. A new faith requires that these potentials be heightened so
that it can establish its roots deep in the most fertile soil of human nature.
It is also through trials that the advocates of a faith come to know themselves as
they are. They will look at themselves as they struggle and fight for their faith. They
become more aware of human nature in reality and its latent potentials, and they
know the true nature of societies and communities. They observe the struggle
between their own principles on the one hand and desires and temptations on the
other. They become aware of how Satan works on man leading him astray and
273
causing him to err.
Moreover, it is through the trials endured by the advocates of a certain faith that
its opponents come to realise that there is much good in, it; its followers have stuck
by it despite all the hardships they have endured for its sake. It is then that those
opponents may themselves accept that faith en masse.
This is in the nature of faith and ideology: to withstand such trials while
maintaining fear of God, so that repelling aggression by others does not turn into
counter-aggression, and despair is not allowed to becloud ones vision as one goes
through the hardships. But this is far from easy: That is indeed a matter requiring
strong resolve.
The Muslim community in Madinah was thus made aware of what awaits it of
sacrifice, agony, abuse and trial in possessions and persons. These were to be
inflicted by its enemies, whether these followed earlier religions or were idolaters.
Despite all this, the Muslim community was determined to go along its way, without
reluctance or hesitation. Members of that Muslim community in Madinah were
certain that every soul will taste death, and that rewards are paid on the Day of
Resurrection. They knew that true triumph is that of being drawn away from the fire
and of being brought into paradise. To them, the life of this world was nothing but
an illusory enjoyment. It is on such hard rocks that the Muslim community in
Madinah stood and along that straight and correct way it made its strides. The same
hard rocks and the same straight way are available to its advocates in every
generation. The enemies of this faith remain the same. Generations follow
generations and still they plot to undermine it. The Qurn, however, remains the
same, well preserved by God.
The methods of trial may differ from time to time, but the principle remains the
same: You shall most certainly be tried in your possessions and in your persons; and you
shall hear much hurting abuse from those who were given revelations before you and from
those who set up partners with God. (Verse 186)
The srah gives many examples of the schemes adopted by people of earlier
religions and the idolaters and their propaganda which aimed to cast doubt and
confusion on the very fundamentals of Islam and on its followers and their
leadership. These examples are always renewed and new methods and forms added
to them as new means of communication become available. They are all directed
against Islam and its principles of faith as well as against the Muslim community and
its leadership. Hence, the same principle which God explains to the first Muslim
community as He points out its way and the nature of its enemy remains always
applicable.
This Qurnic directive remains valid for the Muslim community every time it
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takes upon itself to implement Gods method in practical life. It reassures the
Muslims that Gods promise will come true. All that it has to endure of trials, abuse,
false accusation and hardship becomes very pleasant, since it is no more than a
confirmation that the community is going along the way God intends. It is fully
certain that perseverance and maintaining its fear of God are all the equipment it
needs. All enemy schemes are of little effect. Trials and abuse are of no consequence.
Seeking Praise for Nothing
The srah continues to expose the peoples of earlier revelations who have
contravened their covenant with God. God took a pledge from them that when He
revealed to them the Scriptures that they would always make them known to people.
They, however, did not honour their pledges and concealed what had been entrusted
to them of Gods revelations:
God has made a covenant with those who were granted revelations (when He bade
them): Make it known to mankind and do not conceal it. But they cast it behind their
backs and bartered it away for a trifling price. Evil is that which they have taken in
exchange for it. Do not think that those who exult in their deeds and love to be praised
for what they have not done do not think that they will escape punishment. A
grievous suffering awaits them. To God belongs the dominion of the heavens and the
earth; and He has power over all things. (Verses 187-9)
The srah relates many examples of what the people of earlier religions,
particularly the Jews, were keen to do or say. Most serious among these was their
concealment of the truth and their attempt to confuse that truth with falsehood. They
aimed to create doubt and uncertainty in the basic concept of religion as well as in
the truthfulness of the message of Islam. They tried hard to conceal the fact that
Islam shared with past religions their basic principles to the extent that Islam
endorsed them and they confirmed it. The Torah was in their hands telling them that
the message of Muammad was true and that it originated from the same source.
In spite of their covenant with God to make their revelations known to mankind
and never to conceal them, they have deliberately gone against their pledges. The
expression given here to their attitude clearly shows their negligence and
contravention of their own pledges. It is expressed in the form of an unseemly
gesture: they cast it behind their backs. It also reveals that they committed this
dishonourable act for no more than a trivial gain: and bartered it away for a trifling
price.
Whatever the price, it was nothing more than a small gain by worldly standards. It
could only have served the personal interests of the rabbis or the national interest of
275
the Israelites. All this is nothing but a trifling price, even if it did amount to the
ownership of all the earth for the rest of time. How trifling this price is for a covenant
made with God. How little all this is in comparison with what is stored with God:
Evil is that which they have taken in exchange for it.
A adth related by Al-Bukhr on the authority of Ibn Àbbs states that the
Prophet asked some Jews of Madinah about something. They concealed it and
deliberately gave him an incorrect answer. They gave him the impression that they
were right, and that they deserved to be praised for it. In fact, they rejoiced at their
concealment of what he asked them about. According to this adth, this was the
occasion for the revelation of the following verse: Do not think that those who exult in
their deeds and love to be praised for what they have not done do not think that they will
escape punishment. A grievous suffering awaits them. (Verse 188)
Another adth, also related by Al-Bukhr, on the authority of Ab Said al-Khudr,
states that a group of hypocrites at the time of the Prophet used to stay behind when
the Prophet embarked on a campaign of Jihd. They were very pleased for sparing
themselves the trouble of accompanying the Prophet. When he returned to Madinah
they gave him all sorts of excuses, swearing that what they said was true, and
seeking to be praised for things they had not done. Hence, the revelation of this
verse.
It is not always apparent that a certain Qurnic verse has been revealed on a
particular occasion or to answer a specific question. It frequently happens that a
certain verse is quoted to comment on a certain event because it fits the purpose;
hence, some people may say that such and such verse was revealed on such and such
occasion. It may also be that the verse itself includes fitting comments on a particular
event, and again the same suggestion about its revelation is made. In this particular
respect we are unable to say which of the two reports is more accurate. If it was the
first, the srah speaks of the people of earlier revelations and their concealment of
what God had entrusted to them of His revelations when He accepted their pledge
that they would make them known to people. In spite of this, they concealed and lied
about it persistently to such an extent that they sought praise for their fabrications.
If the second report is true, the srah includes references to the hypocrites to which
this verse may be attached. It describes a type of people who may be found in every
community as they were to be found at the time of the Prophet. They are those who
do not have the courage of their convictions, who cannot stand in defence of what
they profess to believe in. They are not prepared to fulfil the duties imposed by faith
and instead they stay behind, taking no share in the struggle for faith. If those who
fight and struggle for their faith suffer a defeat, these hypocrites raise their heads and
boast about their wisdom and realism. If the fighters come back victorious, the
hypocrites waste no time in pretending to have given them their full support,
276
claiming that they contributed to their victory. In this way they seek praise for
something which they have not done.
This is a type of people who thrive on cowardice and false pretences. Their image
is drawn in a couple of touches in the Qurn, but the impact is very clear.
God assures His Messenger that such people cannot escape punishment. They
cannot spare themselves the grievous suffering which awaits them and they may
have no support in trying to evade it: Do not think that they will escape punishment. A
grievous suffering awaits them. (Verse 188) They are threatened with suffering, and
the threat comes from God, to Whom the heavens and the earth belong, and Who is
able to do all things. How, then, can they escape it? To God belongs the dominion of the
heavens and the earth; and He has power over all things. (Verse 189)

277
12
Issues Resolved
In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and
in the succession of night and day, there are indeed
signs for men endowed with insight, (190)
who remember God when they stand, sit and lie
down, and reflect on the creation of the heavens
and the earth: Our Lord, You have not created
all this in vain. Limitless are You in Your glory.
Guard us, then, against the torment of the fire.
(191)
Our Lord, him whom You shall commit to the
fire, You will have condemned to disgrace. The
evildoers shall have none to help them. (192)
Our Lord, we have heard the voice of one who
calls to faith, [saying], Believe in your Lord, and
we have believed. Our Lord, forgive us, then, our
sins and efface our bad deeds and let us die with
the truly virtuous. (193)
Our Lord, grant us what You have promised
us through Your messengers, and do not disgrace
us on the Day of Resurrection. Surely, You never
fail to fulfil Your promise. (194)
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278
Their Lord answers them: I will not suffer the
work of any worker among you, male or female,
to be lost. Each of you is an issue of the other.
Therefore, those who emigrate and are driven out
of their homes and suffer persecution in My cause,
and fight and are slain [for it] I shall indeed
efface their bad deeds and admit them to gardens
through which running waters flow, as a reward
from God. With God is the best of rewards.
(195)
Let not the disbelievers prosperity in the land
deceive you. (196)
It is but a brief enjoyment. Then, Hell shall be
their abode. What an evil abode. (197)
As for those who fear their Lord, theirs shall be
gardens through which running waters flow, in
which they shall abide, a gift of welcome from
God. That which is with God is best for the truly
virtuous. (198)
There are indeed among the people of earlier
revelations some who believe in God and in what
has been bestowed from on high upon you and in
what has been bestowed upon them, humbling
themselves before God. They do not barter away
Gods revelations for a trifling price. They shall
have their reward with their Lord. Swift is Gods
reckoning. (199)
Believers, be patient in adversity, and let your
patience never be exhausted; be ever ready and
fear God so that you may prosper. (200)
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279
Overview
This is the closing passage of a srah rich in subject matter and imagery. It defines
and establishes the fundamentals of the Islamic outlook and, through the debate with
the people of earlier revelations and later on with the hypocrites of Madinah and
the Arab unbelievers, removes all the confusion and misinterpretation all those
groups tried to create. It expounds the Divine order of life, its human and financial
obligations, and teaches the Muslims how to honour those obligations and how to
deal with the hardships and ordeals encountered in so doing. It shows the Muslims
how to dedicate themselves and their possessions to fulfilling those enormous
obligations.
These concluding strains resonate perfectly with the theme and the style of the
srah as a whole in content as well as context and presentation. This section presents
a most profound concept: that the entire physical world is an open book which in
itself conveys the signs and evidence of faith. It points to the hand that runs it with
care and prudence, and reveals that beyond this life there is another where
accountability and reward will be decided. These signs, however, are only perceived
and appreciated by people who understand; those who do not go through life with
their eyes and minds closed to the overwhelming marvels of this open book.
This represents one of the most fundamental concepts of the Islamic outlook on
the physical world, and the very close and harmonic relationship that exists between
it and mans basic and pristine nature. This concept asserts that the physical world,
in itself, is living and tangible proof of the existence of its Creator, on the one hand,
as well as a manifestation of the system that underpins its existence, and the purpose,
the principle and the meaning that define that existence, on the other. This concept is
of the utmost importance in defining mans attitude towards the physical world and
its Lord, God Almighty, and is, therefore, a central pillar of the Islamic outlook on all
existence.
Then follows Gods obliging response to those who understand, who turned to
Him in earnest and penitent supplication while reflecting on His open book of the
universe and all the signs it displays and the thoughts it evokes and inspires. This
response is accompanied by a recommendation to work hard, to strive, sacrifice and
l Ìmrn (The House of Ìmrn) | ISSUES RESOLVED

280
persevere in fulfilling the obligations of the faith they have earned from
contemplating the wonders of Gods open book. The srah again underplays the
effect and influence of the opponents of Islam, no matter how much material power
they may possess in this world. It highlights the everlasting values of the rewards in
the Hereafter to which true believers ought to aspire and hope to receive.
Further to the lengthy discussion on the people of earlier revelations and their
stance towards the Muslims, the srah talks here of the believing ones among them
and their just rewards.
Preserving the same context of piety, it describes them as devout people who are
too polite and modest with God to demean His revelation, like some of their co-
religionists, referred to earlier in the srah.
The closing verse encapsulates Gods advice to the Muslims and represents what
is required of them, and the obligations whose fulfilment will guarantee them
success and accomplishment. Believers, be patient in adversity, and let your patience
never be exhausted, be ever ready and fear God so that you may prosper. (Verse 200) It is an
ending that fits beautifully with the central theme of the srah and all the other
subjects it deals with.
Universal Evidence of Creation
In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the succession of night and day,
there are indeed signs for men endowed with insight, who remember God when they
stand, sit and lie down, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: Our
Lord, You have not created all this in vain. Limitless are You in Your glory. Guard
us, then, against the torment of the fire. Our Lord, him whom You shall commit to the
fire, You will have condemned to disgrace. The evildoers shall have none to help them.
Our Lord, we have heard the voice of one who calls to faith, [saying], Believe in your
Lord, and we have believed. Our Lord, forgive us, then, our sins and efface our bad
deeds and let us die with the truly virtuous. Our Lord, grant us what You have
promised us through Your messengers, and do not disgrace us on the Day of
Resurrection. Surely, You never fail to fulfil Your promise. (Verses 190-4)
What are these signs contained in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the
succession of day and night? What is the message understood by men of wisdom
when they reflect on these phenomena, as they remember God in all situations, when
they stand up, sit and lie down? Furthermore, what is the relationship between their
reflection on these signs and their remembrance of God in all situations? How does
their reflection lead them to engage in their supplication which expresses their
humility and fear of God: Our Lord, You have not created all this in vain. Limitless are
You in Your glory. Guard us, then, against the torment of the fire.
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What we find here is a vivid image of the sound and proper reception of the
messages transmitted by the physical universe to a healthy mind. Proper response is
made to these messages which are open to all throughout the universe, both during
the day and during the night.
Telling signs appear in every new page of this open book. They awaken
uncorrupted human nature to appreciate the truth which is well established both in
this book of the universe and in the perfect design of its structure. They create a
strong desire to respond to the Creator Who has established this truth in His
creation, and couples loving Him with a feeling of fear of Him. People endowed with
understanding open their minds to receive the messages God has placed in the
universe. They allow no barriers to prevent them from appreciating these messages.
Their hearts turn to God when they stand, sit or lie down. Hence, their faculties of
understanding are sharpened and they are able to appreciate the message God has
placed in the universe, its purpose and its basic nature. Thus, the laws of the universe
transmit their inspiration to mens hearts.
We have only to rid ourselves of the shackles of familiarity and to open our eyes
and minds to these scenes of the creation of the heavens and earth and the succession
of day and night and look at them afresh, as if for the first time, so that we may be
overwhelmed with awe and stand in utter wonder and amazement. When we do
this, we are bound to feel that behind all this harmony and perfection there must be
an organising hand, an elaborate thinking and a law that never fails. We are bound to
conclude that nothing of this is deceptive, borne by coincidence or happening in
vain.
Our wonder at this beautiful, awe-inspiring scene of the universe is not
diminished in any way by our knowledge that the day and the night are two
phenomena which result from the earth constantly revolving around the sun, or by
our knowledge that the harmony apparent in the creation of the heavens and the
earth relies on the law of gravity or some such force. These are mere theories which
may be true and equally may be wrong. Be that as it may, they in no way diminish
our appreciation of these phenomena and the precise, perfect laws which regulate
and preserve them. Regardless of what human scientists may call these laws, they
continue to serve as evidence of the truth and of Gods power which is manifest in
the creation of the heavens and the earth and in the succession of night and day.
This Qurnic passage describes in great detail the different psychological stages
which result from approaching the creation of the heavens and the earth and the
succession of day and night as men endowed with understanding. At the same time,
this description points out the proper approach to universal phenomena, how to
respond to the universe and its nature and how to appreciate its messages and
inspiration. It makes the open book of the universe a book of knowledge for the
282
believer who maintains his relationship with God and with what God creates.
It combines mans remembrance and worship of God in all situations, when he,
stands, sits and lies down with his reflection on the creation of the heavens and the
earth and on the succession of day and night. Thus, reflection becomes intertwined
with worship and an aspect of remembering God. This combination presents us with
two highly important facts, namely, that reflection on Gods creation is an act of
worship, and the signs that God has placed in the universe do not impart their true
messages except to people who always remember God and worship Him.
A Passionate Prayer by True Believers
The first fact is that reflection on Gods creation and contemplation of the open
book of the universe and the great wonders which God has placed in the universe
constitute a definite act of worship and an essential part of remembering God. Had
natural sciences which study various aspects, laws and phenomena of the universe in
order to unravel their secrets and potential, been directed to remembrance of the
Creator of this universe and to appreciate and acknowledge His majesty and grace,
they would instantaneously have become part of worship and prayer to the Creator.
Human life would have benefited a great deal by these sciences and would have
turned towards God. The materialistic trend, however, severs all links between the
universe and its Creator, and severs the relationship which should have always
existed between natural sciences and the eternal truth of the Divine Being. Scientific
research, Gods great gift to man, thus becomes a curse which makes human life a
continuous succession of misery, worry and spiritual emptiness which weigh very
heavily on man.
The second fact is that the signs that God has placed throughout the universe do
not impart their inspiring messages except to hearts and minds refined by worship
and the remembrance of God. Those who remember God in all situations, when they
stand, sit and lie down, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth and
on the succession of day and night are indeed the very people whose hearts and
minds are ready to appreciate the messages imparted by these universal phenomena.
They are the ones who reach beyond these messages to the Divine method which
ensures salvation, goodness and prosperity. On the other hand, those who confine
themselves to the study of certain aspects and appearances, and discover the secrets
of some universal laws, without any attempt to know the Divine method of life
inevitably destroy life and destroy themselves with the secrets they discover. They
cannot escape the misery and worry which characterise their lives and they
inevitably end up incurring Gods wrath and deserving His punishment.
These two facts are mutually complementary, and they are presented here in this

283
way for men of understanding at the precise moment of their reflection on universal
phenomena. It is a moment which represents clarity of heart and soul, an open mind
ready to receive a message and an attitude of being prepared to give the right
response and abide by the implications of the truth.
It is a moment of worship, which means that it is a moment of establishing a
relationship and receiving a message. It is no wonder, then, that the mere reflection
on the creation of the heavens and the earth and the succession of day and night is
enough to reveal the truth about them and the fact that nothing of this has been
created in vain. The immediate result of this attitude is embodied in these words:
Our Lord, You have not created all this in vain. Limitless are You in Your glory. This is
immediately followed by a psychological response to the inspiration of the universe:
Guard us, then, against the torment of the fire. Our Lord, him whom You shall commit to
the fire, You will have condemned to disgrace. The evildoers shall have none to help them.
What is the nature of the emotional relationship between recognising the truth
behind the creation of the heavens and the earth and the succession of day and night
and the fear of being thrown into hell? Recognition of this truth means to those
endowed with understanding and insight that it is all made according to an elaborate
plan and for a definite purpose, and that truth and justice will be maintained beyond
mans life on this planet. This inevitably means that whatever people do will be taken
into account and that rewards will be administered. This leads to the conclusion that
there is another life where the truth will be established and where justice will be
done.
This line of argument is both obvious and natural. Its conclusion is quickly
formulated in the minds of those people of understanding. Hence, the picture of the
fire is immediately visualised in their minds and the foremost thought which
accompanies their recognition of the truth is to pray to God to guard them against
the fire. This shows a remarkable understanding of how thoughts and feelings are
aroused in the minds and the hearts of people endowed with understanding. They
express their feelings in their long supplication, apprehensive, urgent, melodious,
finely rhythmic: Our Lord, him whom You shall commit to the fire, You will have
condemned to disgrace. The evildoers shall have none to help them. This suggests that, first
and foremost, they fear the disgrace which will inevitably befall those who are
thrown into hell. They shiver with shame when they realise what sort of disgrace
befalls such people. They stand ashamed in front of God, and they feel this shame to
be more painful than the scourge of the fire. It also expresses their knowledge that
there is no one to help them against God: The evildoers shall have none to help them.
We move on with this humble prayer: Our Lord, we have heard the voice of one who
calls to faith, [saying]: Believe in your Lord, and we have believed. Our Lord, forgive us,
then, our sins and efface our bad deeds and let us die with the truly virtuous. These hearts
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are open. They only need to receive the message in order to respond to it. Their
sensitivity is enhanced. The first thing impressed on their minds is the fact that they
commit sins and may be guilty of disobedience. Hence, they turn to their Lord,
praying for His forgiveness and for their bad deeds to be effaced. They also pray to
be grouped with the righteous when they die.
The message of these verses fits in with the message of the rest of the srah. The
believers pray to God to forgive them their sins so that they can win their continuous
battle against desire and temptation. Achieving victory in this battle is akin to victory
in a military battle against the enemies of God and the enemies of faith. Thus the
srah is a whole unit, each part complementing the other, and delivering a complete
and harmonious message.
The last part of this prayer expresses hope, reliance on God and deriving strength
from the believers unshakable trust that He always fulfils His promises: Our Lord,
grant us what You have promised us through Your messengers, and do not disgrace us on the
Day of Resurrection. Surely, You never fail to fulfil Your promise. They pray for the
fulfilment of Gods promise conveyed to them by His messengers, expressing their
absolute confidence that God never fails in His promise, and their hope to be spared
disgrace on the Day of Resurrection. This last expression of apprehension relates to
that at the beginning of their prayer. It demonstrates their great sensitivity to this
disgrace and the fact that they always remember it and mention it both at the
beginning and at the end of their prayer. How sensitive and pious are these hearts
and how strong their sense of shame in front of God. Taken as a whole, this prayer
represents a genuine and profound response to the message which the universe and
its signs and phenomena give to men whose hearts remain open and uncorrupted.
A brief word should be added here about the artistic excellence reflected in the
rhyming of these verses. It is a rhythm which does not repeat the same tempo, but
rather a rhythm of harmony. Most of the 200 verses of this srah maintain a rhythm
which is normally associated with statement of fact. The rhythm is briefly changed in
only two instances, the first occurs early in the srah and the second applies to these
verses. In both instances, the verses concerned include a prayer to God. We note that
the changes are made for artistic beauty, whereby the rhythm adopted gives the
verses a melodious effect which suits the atmosphere of prayer.
Moreover, reflection on the creation of the heavens and the earth and the
succession of day and night is particularly suitable to a long, deliberate prayer which
admits elongation and musical overtone. Thus, the scene itself is maintained for a
longer period so as to prolong its message and effect on peoples minds and
imagination.
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Prayers Answered and Obligation Defined
Their Lord answers them: I will not suffer the work of any worker among you, male or
female, to be lost. Each of you is an issue of the other. Therefore, those who emigrate
and are driven out of their homes and suffer persecution in My cause, and fight and
are slain [for it] I shall indeed efface their bad deeds and admit them to gardens
through which running waters flow, as a reward from God. With God is the best of
rewards. Let not the disbelievers prosperity in the land deceive you. It is but a brief
enjoyment. Then, Hell shall be their abode. What an evil abode. (Verses 195-7)
In this passage we have Gods answer to the prayer repeated at length by the
believers who have come to accept the faith after their reflection on the scene of the
universe. They recognise that God has not created all this in vain. They understand
the message imparted by these scenes and make the appropriate response and pray
to God to spare them the disgrace of being committed to hell in the Hereafter. Gods
answer is a detailed one, harmonious with the artistic characteristics of the Qurnic
style which takes into account the psychological requirements of every situation. Let
us consider this answer and what it tells us about the nature of the Divine method
and how Islam sets about refining the characters of its followers. Those people,
described in an earlier verse as endowed with insight have reflected on the creation
of the heavens and the earth and on the succession of night and day and have
appreciated the message of the book of the universe, responding to the truth as it is
clearly explained in it. They have addressed their Lord with a long, heart-felt prayer
which reflects their apprehension. Here they receive the response of their merciful
Lord. Their prayers are answered as their attention is drawn to the constituent
elements of the way of life God wants them to adopt and to its obligations: Their
Lord answers them: I will not suffer the work of any worker among you, male or female, to be
lost. Each of you is an issue of the other. Here they are told that reflection,
contemplation, apprehension and passionate prayer are not enough, nor is it enough
to turn to God for forgiveness and for bad deeds to be effaced and salvation to be
granted. These goals require positive action of a particular type that is motivated by
understanding the lessons learnt through reflection on the creation of the universe.
Islam considers this an act of worship, in the same way as it considers reflection,
contemplation and remembrance of God, a prayer for forgiveness and a fear of God
and a hope in His bounty. Indeed, Islam views action as the practical result of such
worship. It is accepted from all, male and female alike, without any discrimination
on the basis of sex. All people are equal as human beings, since each one of them
issues from another, and they are all judged equally.
The work required is then outlined. We can see here the obligations imposed by
Islamic faith with regard to personal and financial sacrifices. We can also appreciate
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the nature of the Islamic method of life and in what sort of society it is to be
implemented. We are made to understand further the way to establish such a society
and the barriers and difficulties which work against its establishment. The need is
urgent to remove such obstacles and to prepare the soil for the seed of Islam to grow
and be firm, no matter how great the sacrifices: Therefore, those who emigrate and are
driven out of their homes and suffer persecution in My cause, and fight and are slain [for it]
I shall indeed efface their bad deeds and admit them to gardens through which running
waters flow, as a reward from God. With God is the best of rewards.
This was the status of those who engaged in this prayer and who were the first
generation to be addressed by the Qurn. They emigrated from Makkah and were
driven out of their homes there because of their faith. They were persecuted for no
other reason than serving Gods cause. They had to fight and were killed in battle.
The same applies to the advocates of this faith in every land and in every generation.
Whenever the faith of Islam begins to establish itself in any environment of
ignorance, in a hostile land, which could be any land, and among hostile people, any
people, it then faces a bad reception because it stands up to peoples illegitimate
ambitions and greed. Its followers are persecuted and chased away, especially when
its advocates are still few in number. This blessed plant, however, will grow in spite
of persecution and hostility. It will then acquire the ability to resist persecution and
defend itself against aggression. This inevitably leads to fighting in which some of its
followers are killed. In return for these great efforts, bad deeds are effaced, sins are
forgiven and reward, great reward, is granted.
Only in this way does the Divine system of life come to establish itself. It is a
system whose implementation God has ordained must be through human effort.
Effort exerted by true believers who struggle and work hard for Gods cause, seeking
Gods pleasure.
This is the nature of this system, its constituent elements and obligations. We have
also seen the course which it follows in educating its followers and refining their
characters, giving them directives which ensure that they move from the stage of
reflection on Gods creation to the stage of positive action and are thus able to
implement the system God wants man to implement.
Following this, a glance is cast on the temptation which is represented by the
luxuries and comforts available in this life to the unbelievers, the disobedient and
those who are hostile to the Divine faith. This only aims at making known the true
weight and value of such luxuries and comforts so that they do not dazzle the eyes of
their beneficiaries or the believers who suffer all the persecution of being driven out
from their homes, and who have to fight and sacrifice their lives: Let not the
disbelievers prosperity in the land deceive you. It is but a brief enjoyment. Then, Hell shall be
their abode. What an evil abode.
287
Their prosperity is an aspect of affluence, wealth, position and power. It is bound
to leave something in the hearts of believers as they suffer hardship, poverty, and
persecution and as they have to fight in battle. All these are hardships which are very
difficult to bear. Yet, the followers of falsehood enjoy themselves and are prosperous.
The masses, on the other hand, are bound to feel something when they see the
advocates of the truth enduring the suffering while the followers of falsehood are
spared and enjoying all they want. The evildoers themselves look at the situation and
become hardened in their false beliefs, erroneous ways, evil deeds and corruption.
At this point, we have this gentle touch which sets things aright: Let not the
disbelievers prosperity in the land deceive you. It is but a brief enjoyment. Then, Hell shall be
their abode. What an evil abode. Their enjoyment is brief. It will soon disappear. As for
their final and permanent abode, it is nothing other than Hell. It is indeed an evil
abode.
What Reward for a Long, Hard Struggle
In contrast to that brief enjoyment and fleeting prosperity there are for the
believers eternity and blessings from God:
As for those who fear their Lord, theirs shall be gardens through which running
waters flow, in which they shall abide, a gift of welcome from God. That which is with
God is best for the truly virtuous. There are indeed among the people of earlier
revelations some who believe in God and in what has been bestowed from on high
upon you and in what has been bestowed upon them, humbling themselves before God.
They do not barter away Gods revelations for a trifling price. They shall have their
reward with their Lord. Swift is Gods reckoning. (Verses 198-9)
Any comparison shall remove the slightest doubt that what is with God is
infinitely better for truly righteous and virtuous people. No one will entertain any
thought that what the God-fearing finally receive is much superior than what the
disbelievers enjoy. Hence, anyone endowed with insight will unhesitatingly choose
for himself the share chosen by the people who have been described earlier as being
endowed with understanding.
At this point, when the context is one of cultivating the believers characters and
establishing the essential values according to the Islamic concept of life, God does not
promise the believers victory, or that they should triumph over their enemies, or that
they should be established in any land. He indeed does not promise them anything
in this life. He does not include in His promise here anything of what He promises
them elsewhere in the Qurn or of what He has undertaken to provide for the
believers as they engage in battle against His enemies.
288
Here, He promises them only one thing, namely, that which is with God. For this
is the basic aspect of this message, and the starting point of this faith. God wants the
believers to totally disown every aim, purpose or aspiration, including their desire to
see their faith triumph and the enemies of God defeated. God wants the believers to
free themselves even from this desire. He wants them to leave this matter altogether
to Him so that they are free from all ambitions, including those which are not
personal. What is required of them is that they be ready to give and sacrifice, to fulfil
their duty and perform their obligations. There is nothing for them of the comforts
and enjoyments of this life. Moreover, there is no promise of victory, fulfilment of
aims or gaining of power. All that is promised is in the Hereafter.
But then victory takes place and the believers are established in the land. This,
however, is not part of the deal. There is nothing in the contract which stipulates any
returns in this life. All that it speaks of is fulfilment of the deal made when Islam was
persecuted in Makkah. The terms were very clear. God did not give the Muslims
victory and the reins of power to assume the role of leadership of mankind until they
had rid themselves totally of all ambitions which relate to this life and fulfilled their
obligations with total dedication.
Muammad ibn Ka`b al-Qura and others relate that when people from the two
tribes of Madinah, the Aws and the Khazraj, pledged their loyalty to the Prophet and
asked him to emigrate to Madinah, Àbdullh ibn Rawah said to the Prophet:
Stipulate whatever conditions you wish to make for your Lord and for yourself.
The Prophet said: For my Lord, I stipulate that you shall worship Him alone and
associate no partners with Him. For myself, I make the condition that you shall
protect me as you protect yourselves and your property. They asked: What shall
we get if we fulfil our pledge? The Prophet answered: Paradise. They said: It is a
profitable deal. We accept no going back and we will never go back on it ourselves.
The Prophets answer must be noted here. All he said was: Paradise. He
promised nothing more. He did not say to them that they will have victory, power,
unity of the Arabian tribes, leadership, wealth, prosperity or anything else. It is true
that God gave them all that and allowed them to enjoy it, but that was extra, and
certainly not part of the deal.
Their attitude is also worth noting. They viewed it as a deal between a buyer and a
seller. Once struck, no more bargaining could be done.
This is how God cultivated and disciplined the community in whose hands it was
His will to place the control of the earth, and to whom He assigned the leadership of
mankind and custody of the great faith. But He only assigned it that role after it had
freed itself totally of all desires and ambitions, including those which related to its
message, and the system to be implemented. Custody of this faith, the greatest
289
treasure, could not come about until this community demonstrated that it did not
care about itself and until it surrendered itself totally to God.
Just before the srah ends, a fresh reference is made to the people of earlier
revelations which states that some of them have similar beliefs to those of the
Muslims. These are considered to have joined the ranks of the Muslims and adopted
their ways. Hence, they also deserve the same reward:
There are indeed among the people of earlier revelations some who believe in God and
in what has been bestowed from on high upon you and in what has been bestowed
upon them, humbling themselves before God. They do not barter away Gods
revelations for a trifling price. They shall have their reward with their Lord. Swift is
Gods reckoning. (Verse 199)
This reference is made in order to bring to a conclusion the long account, given in
the srah, of the people of earlier revelations. The srah has referred to many groups
among them and to many of their attitudes. Now that the srah is speaking about
true faith and how people should accept it, and portraying a scene of supplication to
God and His answering of believers prayers, it states that some of the people of
earlier revelations have also followed the same path to its final end. They have
believed in all Gods revelations and have not sought to isolate Gods messengers
from Him, nor have they discriminated against any of His messengers. They believe
in what was revealed to them in former times, and in what has been revealed to the
Muslims. This is the distinctive characteristic of a faith which looks at all believers
with loving tenderness and visualises the whole procession of the faithful as leading
directly to God. It looks at the Divine system as a complete whole. The one
characteristic of those believers among the people of earlier revelations which is
highlighted here is humility before God and the refusal to barter away Gods
revelations for a trifling price. They are thus set apart from the ranks of the people of
the Scriptures whose main characteristic is one of boastfulness and of being totally
unashamed before God. Moreover, they fabricate lies and seek cheap worldly
pleasures.
To those believers among the people of earlier revelations God promises the same
reward as He gives to Muslim believers. God does not delay the reward of those who
deal with Him. Far be it for Him to do so. Swift is Gods reckoning.
Summing Up All Obligations
Believers, be patient in adversity, and let your patience never be exhausted; be ever
ready and fear God so that you may prosper. (Verse 200)
290
The closing verse in this long srah is an address to the believers which sums up
the obligations imposed on them by the constitution God has chosen for them. It is
an address from on high to the believers. It calls them by their very quality which
establishes their bond with the source of that address and places on them their
obligations and qualifies them for the fulfilment of those obligations. It is the quality
which gives them honour in this world and makes them honoured in heaven. They
are called upon to show patience in adversity and to continue to do so in all
situations, to be always ready for sacrifice and to maintain their fear of God.
The srah speaks repeatedly about patience in adversity and fear of God. The two
qualities are mentioned on occasions separately and on others together. The srah
also repeatedly calls on the believers to endure whatever hardship they have to face,
to struggle and to foil the schemes of their enemies and never to listen to the
defeatists or to those who sow the seeds of discord. That the concluding verse of the
srah calls on the believer to be patient in adversity and to always persevere
demonstrates that these are the essential ingredients of those who want to follow the
path of Divine faith. It is a long and hard way, full of impediments, persecution,
trials and tribulations. To follow it they must be patient.
They have to resist their own desires, ambitions, weaknesses and impetuosity.
They have to persevere in the face of peoples desires, weaknesses, ignorance, lack of
understanding, perversions, selfishness, conceit, and their impatience for quick
results. They have to endure the falsehood and tyranny, the power of evil and the
conceit of every boastful arrogant.
They have to be patient in spite of any of their own weaknesses and in spite of the
whisperings of Satan at such times when they are totally unhappy. They must
persevere in spite of the fact that this can give rise to anger, exasperation, occasional
lack of trust in goodness, lack of confidence in human nature, disappointment,
frustration and total despair. In addition, they must also be patient and restrain
themselves at the moment of victory, show humility and gratitude when adversity is
replaced by prosperity, suppress every motive for revenge or for exceeding the limits
of justice. They must maintain their relationship with God and submit to His will in
times of happiness and in times of hardship. They surrender themselves to Him with
trust and reassurance.
Words cannot express the true significance of this struggle. Only a person who has
experienced such hardships can understand the full significance of such
perseverance. The believers themselves knew well what this address from on high
meant. They knew what sort of patience and perseverance God wanted them to
show.
This verse then calls on the believers to rise to a higher standard. It is expressed in
291
Arabic in a form of the verb to be patient which signifies a highly enhanced effect.
This means that the believers must face up to all enemies who try hard to exhaust
their patience. The believers are called upon not to allow their patience to fail them
despite the prolonged struggle. They must remain more patient and stronger than
their enemies, be they the inner enemies in their own souls or the external ones who
are the evildoers. The case is thus described as a contest between them and their
enemies, and the believers are called upon to meet patience with stronger fortitude,
effort with even greater effort, determination with strong resilience. When they have
shown that they are stronger and more patient than their enemies, the outcome will
undoubtedly be in their favour. If falsehood can be determined and is patient as it
goes along its own way, then the truth must be more determined and resilient and
must show greater patience as it goes along its own way.
To be ready, in Islamic terminology, is to stay in places where battles are expected,
and in positions which are liable to attack from the enemy. The Muslim community
never used to leave its eyes closed or to allow sleep to overtake it. Right from the
moment when it was called upon to take up the message of Islam and to convey it to
mankind, its enemies have never been allowed to rest.
Nor will they ever allow the Muslim community to rest in peace, anywhere or at
any time. Hence, it cannot overlook the need to be ever-ready to fight and sacrifice
until the end of time.
This message presents to people a practical system which exercises control over
their consciences, money, property and way of living. It is a system which is upright,
just and good. Evil, however, does not like to see such a system being implemented.
Falsehood does not like honesty, justice or goodness. Tyranny does not submit to
justice, equality and dignity. Hence, this message will always find enemies who
uphold evil, falsehood and tyranny. Those who exploit others and are engaged in
self- aggrandisement do not wish to relinquish their privileges. The despots who
tyrannise people do not like to stop their oppression. The corrupt who indulge in
every vice do not like to mend their ways. They all wage a campaign of
extermination against the message of Islam. The believers must face up to all these
enemies, and must equip themselves with patience and perseverance which can
never be exhausted. They must always be on the alert for any aggression launched
against them so that the Muslim community can never be taken unawares by its
natural enemies who can be found everywhere and in all times.
This is the nature of this message and this is the path it follows. It does not intend
any aggression, but it certainly wants to establish its correct method and perfect
system on earth. It will always find those who hate its method and system, and who
try to prevent its establishment with force, wickedness and propaganda. The
advocates of Islam have no choice but to accept the challenge and to fight the battle
292
no matter how much it costs. They must always be on their guard.
Fearing God must accompany all this, because it is a watchful guard over mans
conscience. It keeps it alert and strong and restrains it from launching any aggression
or indulging in any deviation. No one appreciates the need for this watchfulness
except the one who suffers the difficulties of this path, the one who has to contend
with contradictory feelings and reactions pulling him in opposite directions in every
situation and at every moment.
This final verse sums up the message of the whole srah. It puts in a nutshell all
the obligations Islam imposes on its followers. There is no wonder then that God
attaches to it the outcome of a long struggle and makes prosperity in the Hereafter
dependent on it: So that you may prosper. God always tells the truth.

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